Woo. Thanks for all the great feedback from last chapter! There's something I feel I should really point out…so I will. Thank you so much, Batou, for showing me the mistake I made last chapter. You see, the Nicholas Flamel thing I used didn't work with canon. Since Dumbledore told Harry that he had used Flamel's old research to create another Sorcerer's Stone and the Sopravivus Charm, Flamel would have had to die before 1981, when D-Dore cast the spell on Lily. In the books, he died in 1992, so this is obviously a big mistake. Here it is: I am stupid. I reeeeaaally should check my work before I put stuff up on the site. Nicholas Flamel thing isn't important to the rest of the story, though – I promise.
Disclaimer: Two more! Two more! Two more! (I'm not really disclaiming much nowadays, am I?)
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There was deep silence for a moment, and then Dumbledore broke it.
"You may as well take the potion now, Lily."
Lily looked up abruptly. "What? Oh…yes. The potion. Right." She stood from her seat and glanced over at Harry. "Do you think this is something Harry shouldn't see, Albus?"
Dumbledore chuckled slightly. "No, I believe Harry has seen much worse in his years."
Harry felt a little awkward. Dumbledore, however, went to a shelf behind his desk and retrieved a great stone cauldron that he set down on the table before them. The cauldron appeared to be full of liquid silver. Dumbledore conjured a glass, scooped a cup of potion into it, and handed it to Lily. As she held the glass in her hand, Harry saw a look her eye that he once saw on another of his guardians – Sirius, after Harry had first met him, when he had believed for a glorious hour that Wormtail's capture would mean his freedom. It was a hungry, savoring look, free of ambition and full of a child's blind happiness. However, Lily gave a long look at Harry instead of gulping the potion right away.
"Er, maybe we should wait with the potion," Lily said reluctantly, lowering the glass back onto the table with obvious torment. "I think we've all been through enough stress today as it is…"
Harry's shock mixed with gratefulness and surprise for Lily's consideration of his feelings. It was the first motherly gesture she had shown since revealing her true identity to him, and it was a welcome one. But Harry wouldn't allow Lily to put herself through this – she had waited to long for this moment; suffered too many years in lonely exile. He had taken away Sirius' moment by refusing to let him kill Wormtail – he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.
"No, please," Harry spoke suddenly, surprised with the tremor in his voice. "Take the potion. I know how much it means to you," he said more firmly.
"Oh, Harry, are you sure?" Lily gazed at him, wide-eyed.
He nodded. "Do it."
Lily had tears in her eyes. Smiling, she lifted the potion once more, and downed it in one gulp.
Harry stared, watching closely for changes in Lily's appearance. Nothing happened for long moments. He looked at Dumbledore, who was also watching Lily closely. Looking back, Harry saw she had her eyes closed, and her mouth was twisted into an unpleasant sort of grimace. Then – a strange white glow surrounded Lily, and her body began to morph.
Harry thought it was a bit like watching someone transform under the influence of Polyjuice potion. Lily shrank several inches, her skin became paler, and freckles appeared on her arms and face. Lily's hands became smaller and her fingers longer. Those squared shoulders sloped into curves and her neck shortened. The severe hair softened and loosened, falling out of its stiff bun. Gentle waves appeared, and before Harry's eyes, black morphed to auburn. Lily's face became rounder, her nose shorter, her lips thinner. Harry saw clearly the green eyes which everyone told him were his sparkle with the sensation of the potion. The most peculiar thing happened – they turned completely gold, and a rushing sound like wind filled the room. Then, as suddenly as it came, the golden eyes disappeared and the white aura around Lily faded, signaling the end of her transformation.
Lily stood quite still for her first few moments as a new woman. She took a few deep breaths, and looked around the room, taking everything in. She flexed her fingers and patted herself a little, as if to make sure that everything was still there. Then, suddenly – Harry backed off a little at the sudden movement – Lily whipped out the wand that was tucked into her uniform and slashed it through the air in a powerful gesture. The entire wall Lily was facing collapsed in a crumbling heap of debris, and dust gathered in the air, choking them all momentarily. When Harry was able to see Lily and Dumbledore again, he was surprised to find triumphant, exultant expressions on their faces.
Lily was staring at her wand hand, jaw open. "Wow," she breathed. "My magic…"
"…Is fully restored," Dumbledore finished for her, smiling.
"What, you didn't have it before?" Harry asked, still coughing.
She looked at him. "Not nearly as much as I used to. I was able to do some magic while I was living alone these past years, but I was much weaker. It was so frustrating."
Harry nodded. He could imagine that.
"But it was important that I let some magic out now and then, so that I didn't build up a reserve and – well, explode." Lily looked at Dumbledore's office for the first time and blushed guiltily. "Sorry about that, Albus…"
"Not to worry, not to worry…Perhaps I'd better reverse the damage myself. Maximus reparo," Dumbledore waved his wand, and the wall was restored.
"So that gold thing in her eyes…?"
"That was, indeed, the magic returning to Lily's body," Dumbledore answered Harry and nodded.
"Oh, I feel so much better!" Lily squealed, taking a little leap in the air. Harry could see the effect the restored magic had on her. Her posture was more defined, and she looked healthier and stronger. Harry thought she was very pretty, in an older sort of way.
Dumbledore smiled. "Would you like to see a mirror, Lily?"
She nodded a little hesitantly, and stepped in front of the full-length mirror that Dumbledore Conjured for her. "Oh…" Harry watched as Lily examined herself, tugged on her hair, pulled apart her gums, and ran a finger over her cheek. "I look old." She said dejectedly, observing the small creases on her forehead.
"All people age," Dumbledore laughed slightly. "Of course, you haven't seen yourself for fifteen years, so of course you look different at thirty-six than you did at twenty-one."
Lily nodded, then laughed and stepped away from the mirror as if she had been doing something improper. "Look at me, gawking at my own reflection! You must think I'm completely vain, Harry."
He smiled a little. "Believe me, that's the last thing I'm thinking."
The grin on Lily's face slipped away. "We do have a lot to think about, don't we? Albus, do you think Harry and I could go somewhere and talk for a while?"
Dumbledore smiled graciously. "Of course. Follow me, if you will."
He led them out of his office and down a few flights of stairs, miraculously avoiding any teachers who may have been staying at Hogwarts over the summer. Harry imagined what kind of explanations Dumbledore would have to give if someone were to spot Lily.
They rounded a corner and approached a brightly lit corridor covered with paintings of various foods. Harry realized that they were being taken to the Hogwarts kitchens. Indeed, they soon approached a large painting of a bowl of fruit. Dumbledore reached out his arm to tickle the pear and the canvas swung open, revealing a hole for them to climb through.
It was quiet. Harry guessed that the house-elves didn't have much to do in the summer with no students to cook for. However, there were a couple of the diminutive, raggedy creatures scurrying about the kitchen, placing pies into ovens and stirring large pots of stew over the stove. One spotted the Headmaster and his guests and hurried over.
"Can Misty get anything for Headmaster Dumbledore and friends, sir?" The elf squeaked.
Dumbledore gestured for Lily and Harry to answer.
"Some tea would be lovely, thank you, Misty," Lily said gently. "And maybe a place to sit…?"
"Misty thinks this way, ma'am!" The tiny house-elf guided them over to a table. "Tea is coming, ma'am and young sir!" She skipped away, happy with the prospect of a job.
Harry and Lily sat, but Dumbledore bowed to them.
"I'll leave you here," he informed them. "You'll have plenty of privacy; the house-elves only come when they're called. Come back to my office whenever you feel like. I have some letters to write regarding your death certificate, Lily, which obviously must be erased. The Daily Prophet should probably be informed of your return, too…" Dumbledore said thoughtfully.
Lily cringed. "Do you think we could keep this quiet for a while, Albus? Harry only just found out about me…"
He nodded. "Of course, I apologize. I don't want to push the two of you into any uncomfortable situations." He bowed again. "Take your time. Oh, and do try the raspberry tarts. They're delicious when they're in season."
With that, Dumbledore left them, and Misty returned balancing a teapot and a tray of assorted pastries.
Harry took a tart from the tray and chewed on it. "They really are good," he agreed once he'd swallowed.
Lily chuckled. "That's Dumbledore and his sweet tooth, for you."
There was a silence as they both sipped their tea and nibbled on the food laid out for them. Harry hadn't realized how hungry he was, but he supposed he'd had more important things to think about in the past few hours than his appetite.
Lily, Harry noticed, had stopped eating and was looking around the kitchens. "I haven't been down here in a long time," she reminisced, gazing wistfully at the passing house-elves.
"Really." Harry felt a story coming on.
"Yeah…your father and I had our first date here, you know." Lily mused.
Harry dropped his bit of crumpet. "What?"
Lily nodded. "It was sixth year, after our Transfiguration exam. I was so nervous about that test; I stayed up all night studying for it and missed breakfast the next morning so that I could cram. I was hungry through the whole exam, so I sped right through it, thinking I could grab some food from Gryffindor Tower once I was finished. James, of course, was the first one done out of our entire year – he was an ace at Transfiguration. He could tell I was starving, somehow, and asked Professor McGonagall to 'please let him take me to the hospital wing, ma'am, because he swore I was coming down with Dragon Pox, I was so pale.' Instead, he took me here, and we had an early lunch without all that fuss in the Great Hall."
Harry smiled at her imitation of his father. "Sirius told me you and dad got together in seventh year."
Lily gave a bubbly laugh. "That's what he knew. James and I wrote to each other throughout that entire summer."
He grinned. "I've been down here with my friends a couple times. Ron and Hermione, you'll meet them. Anyway, Hermione is really big on house-elf rights – she tried coming down here and persuading them to demand salaries and paid vacations and stuff, but they kicked us out."
Lily chuckled into her tea.
"I know. And my best mate Ron thinks Hermione's completely insane sometimes, even though she's a genius. They argue all the time."
"It was Ron's house you went to last week, wasn't it?" Lily checked.
"Yes…" The smile on Harry's face faded. "I suppose Dumbledore told you about the attack that day."
"He did." Lily placed her hand over Harry's on the table. "Harry, I was so worried. I wasn't allowed to help in the battle, and when I finally did see you later that day, I couldn't even ask how you were feeling."
"Well, I wasn't feeling that great. Ron's sister Ginny and Mrs. Weasley both ended up in St. Mungo's…I got an owl recently from him, though, and he says Ginny should be alright."
"That's good." Lily took another bite into a tart. "Harry, there's something I should confess to you, too –"
But Harry interrupted her; the mention of St. Mungo's brought up other memories from that eventful Saturday.
"Wait! You're Rose Burns!" He realized excitedly. "You can to visit me in the hospital, didn't you? You were the one who made the big fuss at the front desk!"
Lily smiled and blushed slightly. "Guilty as charged."
Harry looked smug. "And Ron kept telling me not to obsess over it…" He remembered something else. "How about my bedroom ceiling? Was that you, too?"
Lily cringed. "That was me. Look, don't think I'm weird for this, but I hadn't actually seen your face for fifteen years, and I wanted a good look at you. You look so much like James, Harry."
Harry heard comments like this often, but it was different hearing the words from his mother. His mother. It was strange to even think the words. Would things ever go back to normal again?
As if they ever were normal…
Lily noticed the pensive expression on Harry's face. "Are you alright, Harry?" She asked, concerned.
Harry plastered on a smile. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine…"
"You know, you don't have to pretend around me," Lily said softly. "I know how strange this must be for you. If you want some time alone, or if you want to talk to Dumbledore by yourself, I'm fine with it."
Harry shook his head. "No, that's okay. I think I'm just…I'm still in shock, I suppose. I just hope that doesn't mean I'll wake up tomorrow morning and start screaming bloody murder once I remember what happened today."
The comment brought Lily back to reality. "Speaking of where you'll be waking up tomorrow morning, Harry, we should probably talk about our new living arrangements –"
"Living arrangements?" Harry asked, confused.
"Well, of course, unless you want to stay with the Dursleys." Lily's green eyes widened all of a sudden, and her tone changed from joking to horrified. "I mean, that's okay, if you want to stay with them – you've obviously known them longer than you've known me – I mean, we just met – and, and well–"
"No! I definitely don't want to stay with the Dursleys," Harry assured her. He remembered having a similar conversation with Sirius outside the Shrieking Shack three years previous and wondered how many more invitations this these he would receive in his lifetime. "No, what I meant was, where would we go? Unless we stayed at Hogwarts or something…"
"Well, I still have the house I lived in for the past few years," Lily offered, relieved at her son's assurance that he really did want to live with her. "We could stay there for a while. And we'll most likely be traveling a lot in the next month or so. I'd really like to pay Remus a visit, and I'm sure you'll want to spend some time with the Weasley family."
Harry nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." He suddenly realized, "Oh wow – you'll have to confront Aunt Petunia some time, won't you? Do you have any idea what you'll say to her?"
Some color drained from Lily's face, and she took on an angry, hardened look. "Oh, I'm sure Petty and I will find a few things to talk about…"
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So, comments, questions? As you can see, Harry's finally easing into the idea of having a mother in his life. Lots of parallels to Sirius, which we all hope isn't foreshadow… Hehe. I'm an evil little thing, aren't I?
Trivia: Not really 'trivia', but…What is your favorite dessert:cue grumbling stomach: My tastes change all the time (damn hormones), but I'm currently a banana flambé lover. And, of course, anything with chocolate is just diviiine, darling!
Lastly, review replies will be posted some time later in the week…It's my bedtime, you know. Also, the final chapter of To Die Laughing will be written some time soon, to the relief of many of you. I'm really sorry about the delays, guys. Do you still love me?
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(I love/want reviews!)
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