Hi de ho everyone! Omg im soooooo sorry! I was reading over all my chapters when it dawned upon me how many spelling, grammatical and expression mistakes i have in there! it israther shameful as english is meant to be my best subject $-: So anyway, thanks for putting up with the errors and i assure you i will try to be more of a nit-picker in the future! (-:

BTW: oooooo0000ooooooooo means change of scene! It's not some blood-curdling scream that carries for the entire fic.

DISCLAIMER: i work at subway (EAT FRESH) and i do like my job. i get free cookies and half price subs. But, alas, i have to work long hours and ...well...let's just say the pay leaves alot to be desired. But if i owned HPtm, i would not need job as id have so much money my savings account would implode. Indeed, this is just wishful thinking. Dang, i have work in the morning...

Have a killer time!

Harry Potter was disadvantaged in the area of his mother, never having known her at all. And it was when they were outside Grimmauld Place, waiting to Dissapperate to Harry's 'meeting', that his disadvantage of thinking his mother was...well…a mother, crept stealthily into Harry's head and rearranged his thoughts with malicious havoc.

Harry had wholly expected Lily to shoot him a quizzical look and ask politely where such a place was and what business he had to attend there. And then perhaps to decline such an invitation.

Again, the poor boy was staggeringly wrong.

He first saw the reaction of the name in her eyes. A devastating familiarity that spun sadness across her face began there, until she clamped a hand over her mouth and slumped her shoulders.

"What! W-what's wrong?" It was his turn to ask.

Silently, she shook her head. Harry had the uncomfortable feeling that the single name had mercilessly dumped a flood of unwanted memories upon her. Awkwardly, he turned away to give her space and time to wade her way through the deluge.

But his mind was reeling. Had his mother been to Spinner's End before? What did her reaction mean?

But before he had time to pick over it all, a strong arm grabbed his from behind. He almost cried out in shock, but it was Lily, her face arranged in a resolute grimace, her green eyes fiercely steely. "Lets go. Now." was all she said before she stepped into the middle of the street and, without a further glance at Harry, spun around gracefully and was swallowed up by inky darkness.

Oooooooooooooo00000oooooooooooooooo

" 'His taste.' Ok, so that could mean what he likes. Not necessarily to eat, but what he favours. That sort of thing. A dob...that's more difficult. James what do you… James, are you paying attention? James? Better put that down James. It looks terribly expensive and noisy to break. Sirius, wake up! " said an exasperated Lupin.

He had forgotten how hard it was to keep these two on a task that they frankly wanted to have no part of. They had been picking over the riddle for almost an hour, but James and Sirius had lost every speck of interest in the first 10 minutes. Though Lupin had clearly and repeatedly explained the conditions which hung precariously upon the success of the solving of the riddle, the two boys showed about as much passion in burrowing to the bottom of the riddle's strange meaning as a dead cockroach would have. They did not seem to care this riddle was their only way of getting back to their time.

Indeed James had rudely commented that Lupin had taken on a rather teacher-ish air in his old age, which made Sirius laugh but Lupin frown. "If you two want to be stuck here for the rest of your lives fine by me. I know when my help is not needed or appreciated, so I'll just take myself off now." This line had always captured James' elusive attention, whether it was homework that needed working out or more delicate areas, and Lupin had not forgotten his coercing ways. He had always been the one to keep his friends in line, make sure they finished essays on time and such, and 20 years later, nothing had changed.

"Ah, Moony don't leave! You're making excellent progress by yourself!" said James just as the vase he was balancing shakily upon his head gave an ungainly wobble and slipped off . Lupin sighed as the vase smashed spectacularly and the ensuing chink of breaking china finally awoke Sirius.

"Look, we don't know what the bloody riddle means!" he spat, obviously trying to make it appear as though he had not been asleep at all. "The Time-keeper gave us a dud. All the flattery in the world couldn't help that one."

"I whole-heartedly agree, dear Padfoot," said James solemnly, trying to piece the vase back together. "We'll just have to find our own way back. I'm sure there's another way!"

Lupin groaned as cautious footsteps approached the door and paused outside. A tentative knock, then: "Harry? Are you in there?" called a girl's voice.

Lupin and Sirius turned to James. He glared resignedly back. "Where is this kid and why am I always finding myself in his boots?" he grumbled but nonetheless opened the door. "Hi, Granger!" he said upon seeing the bushy-haired girl perched nervously upon the threshold.

"Hi!" she said back, and without a further word, shot forwards her arm, iron-locked her fist around his upper arm, and pulled James bodily from the room with a detached severity a prison guard would find appalling.

"Wha-" squawked James but Granger interrupted him in a voice as rough as her grip.

"You will not and cannot dodge us this time! We want some answers!" and proceeded to drag him down the hall. How rude and uncouth, though James with mild indignation. No-one had ever dragged him bodily from anywhere before, and he found the experience not at all favourable. But Granger had a firm grip upon his arm and the more he squirmed the tighter it got.

Finally, she had dragged him all the way to The Plotting Room. She opened the door and said shortly: "In!"

But James danced uncertainly upon the threshold, not at all wanting to be bricked in a room with a girl that could exert such phenomenal strength and therefore overpower him, but then the red-haired boy would was mending the window before ducked his head out, ("Oh, bother. What's his name?" thought James.) and appraised the situation. "Finally got him, then?" he said coolly. "Bring him in." He was not smiling.

Granger relinquished her manacle-like grip, and spread her arm towards the door and an ironic gesture of welcome.

James erected his head proudly, whilst rubbing his arm, and walked past the two, though giving Granger's outspread hands as wide a berth as the narrow doorway would allow, and saying as he passed Ron: "Thank-you, Don."

Ooooooooooooooooo000000000000000oooooooooo

Lily reappeared directly upon a dark, dingy front doorstep. She whipped her head about taking in her surroundings, her lungs grasping painfully at the cold night air which carried a tale of a close-by river and stale garbage.

Everything was steeped in impenetrable darkness beyond the door-step, which was gloomily lit with an odd phosphorescent lantern that hung upon the door knocker. With a soft pop Harry appeared beside her. His face was painted with eerie shadows from the light, which made him look older and intimidating. Though he smiled wanly at her, and she reciprocated. She guessed beyond this door everything would be steeped in eerie shadows, for she felt they had left everything good and familiar behind.

Their thoughts must have crossed flight as Harry reached a hand around her shoulder and asked if she was ok. Taken aback, she nodded, and he snatched back his arm and straightened his posture.

She smiled sadly. "You're not used to hugs, are you?"

His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak but Lily gasped and pointed to the curtain of the only lighted window of the house. It was a-flutter. Someone had been watching them silently through the window. "It's ok," said Harry softly. "He knows we're coming."

Suddenly, the door creaked open and a boy no older than 13 appeared and beckoned them inside with a curl of his finger. Once the door was closed, he made rather a fuss of re-doing latches, tightening bolts, and slipping keys into 2 different keyholes before he turned around and viewed them from his keen, sparkling dark eyes. His dark hair was swept over his forehead to one side, revealing a narrow shrewd face lathed in china-white skin. Lily could immediately tell this boy did not often play with other children and act like a foolish scattered brat like some children can. He was hunched over in a pensive stance, scowling at them from under neath his thatch of dark hair, his eyes sweeping in all.

"Glad you came." he had the voice of one who has been trained to always keep it to a soft, indoor voice by noise-irritated parents.

At the thought of parents, Lily cast a nervous look around. She could not make out much of the small house in the gloom. The same mismatched furniture, musty small and genteel poverty. It had not changed at all. A jagged lump rose painfully in her throat.

"Hi, Mark." whispered Harry. "Thanks for doing this. I know what it would mean if you were both caught. Is your father still in with them?"

The boy nodded wordlessly. He had fixed his eyes unblinkingly upon Lily, who inched slightly closer to Harry. She did not know who the boy was but there was something about him that unearthed emotions she had deliberately buried and tried to forget their whereabouts. She felt a wave of nausea spitefully approaching and perched herself shakily upon the narrow staircase before them.

"No, you must not rest there. They'll see you. Come up to my room-" the boy's words were suddenly blotted out by the loud creaking of a rusty door from the living room and the sound of many heavy footfalls…

"Hurry!" hissed the boy, and gesticulated madly at them both to follow him up the stairs. Harry and Lily sprinted up, Lilly's heart banging frantically against her chest. In her panic, she slipped at the topmost stair, and Harry twisted around to grab her hands before she went tumbling down. The boy danced unhelpfully on the landing above them, but when he heard adult voices rumbling in room below, he gave a terrified squeak and dashed away into dark.

Harry and Lilly froze, still prostrate on the stairs, forced to remain motionless as any of the slightest movements might have been discernable and they could not take the risk of finding out. A deep authoritative voice started to speak over the babble and both Harry and Lily held their quickened breaths.

"So, you think they are arranging it Severus?"

"Yes, of course. What other intelligent guess could be made about their actions that does not end in a dead end? Though, with precision, timing and taking care of…uh, a few matters, there it a very great possibility nothing will come to fruition."

"I think I speak rightly for all present to say that we are hanging all of our last hopes on this endeavour of yours, Severus. One slip up, my friend, and a lot more blood ,than that which needs to be respectively spilt, will meet the ground. Understood?"

The man called Severus' voice muttered an assertion, while the door was de-bolted, un-locked, and dis-latched, and then, with many dignified whispered farewells, the huddle of people slipped out through the door and into the night. When the last disappeared, Lily watched the man called Severus tighten his door again, but he remained turned towards it, his long black hair blanketing his face, not moving, apparently waiting for something. Suddenly he shouted : "Mark! Bring him out!"

The boy reappeared at the head of the stairs and slowly made his way down with timid regretful steps. He stopped at the bottom, casting a worried unblinking glance at the two huddled on the stairs, and turned to face the man.

"Bring him out, I said boy!" the man whispered coldly, his back to the boy. Harry bravely rose and walked down the stairs with self-assured steps and a straight back. Something almost like pride reared inside Lilly. But then the stooping man swung suddenly around and she had to clamp a hand to her mouth to choke her cry of horrified surprise. It was Perseus.

Oooo0000000000ooooooo

In the meantime, James had almost been having fun. I say almost, as the greatest pleasure James can wring from life is the pleasure of Quidditch, the pleasure his pursuance of Lily brought, his rather sadistic pleasure of taunting people he did not like and the pleasure of knowing he was better and had the upper hand over everyone else around him.

Normal people like you and me will take a glance at this list and start muttering prayers for the poor boy's soul (but by going by the list, that is if he possessed one at all) but James thought these activities were a delicious way to spend his time and happily jumped at the chance to fulfil one if they ever sprang his way.

At the moment, he was fulfilling one and a half of them, and was therefore almost happy. I can only write one and a half as he was having the most wonderful vengeful time taunting Don and Granger, but only a half as he knew he was better than them, yet Granger's hand was resting uncomfortably close to his and therefore not enjoying that particular nicety of having the upper hand. Granger most definitely had that. A particularly pincer-like one too. But nonetheless, he was having fun.

"But what were you going there about?" asked an exasperated Ron, who's face was growing steadily more red.

"I've already told you!" said an mock-exasperated James. " I had to feed my dog!"

"Harry! This is not funny!" fumed Don. "Either you tell us what this secret meeting was about or...or...we'll.."

"Wow, that does sound painful," yawned James. Then he rose to his feet. This had been going on long enough and it was time he returned to his own room. Perhaps Moony had figured out the riddle for him!

"Please sit, Harry." said Granger in a small voice. She was not looking directly at him, more out of the night-blackened window that was sporting the recent bandages of nails and new strips of wood. After a slight pause she regained her voice. "You never tell us anything anymore. It's all so secretive, like to tell us would be to risk your top-secret information to enemy ears. Harry, we're your friends. We embarked on this road together, but somewhere along it you've slipped away and just left us here to find our own way there. I know you playing with the Big Boys now, and I'm happy that the Wizarding World trusts you that much, but you can't forget who helped you to where you are now," her voice petered out in a trail of emotion and she blinked furiously at James through tear-glazed eyes.

Suddenly, he felt terrible for taunting them, which let me tell you, is something of a breakthrough with James' empathetic conscience, which until now had been steadily gathering dust for 17 years.

He felt an urgent need to rectify the situation. "I'm sorry if I've been a jerk. I know I can be sometimes. And I also act as though I'm some sort of hero, which I am not, and I think I'm overly important, and I am a terrible dresser-" he paused here, made sure he had both Don and Granger's full attention, then decided now or never. "Well, actually no. I'm not sorry for those things, as I didn't do them. My son did. I'm James Potter, nice to meet you!" he smiled and proffered his hand to them both in turn.

But nothing greeted him, except their open mouths and eyes on stalks. "Ah." said James. "This is awkward. Either of you like riddles?"

Ooooooooooooooooo00000ooooooooooooooooo

Lily tremulously pushed herself up from the stairs and made her way slowly down. The man had turned at the sound of her shout and now he watched her descend the stairs with the oddest expression clouding his face. Then she stood before him and looked him squarely in the eyes. Mark's eyes were darting from one to the other. Harry walked over and stood silently beside Lily. "Go on," he whispered to her.

"Perseus," she said loudly, still holding the man's eye contact.

Without a word, slowly, reluctantly, he nodded.

"I can't believe this," said Lily "I thought you'd never want to see us again. But here you are, still in contact with my son -(Harry flinched at the title)- I …I'm so happy we've all mended things up!"

The man stared at her for a full minute, then came to a sudden conclusion that inclined him to turn up his hooked nose and scowl at Lily. "I have no business with you, Evans. I take it the Order has worked out how to negotiate with that surly Time-keeper?" -he directed this question at Harry, who mumbled: " In a manner of speaking…"-

The man sniffed, his lips twisting into a sneer. "How convenient. Come, Potter. Let us get this tedious business over with."

They then all proceeded to follow the man through to the living room, though leaving a hurt and humiliated Lily on her own. He was never nice to you, said a truthful voice inside her head. What did you expect? But suddenly her thoughts were cut short by the dancing, silvery light shining its way from the living room. Curiosity stealing over her, she ventured over to the door way and what she saw made her thankful of coming.

Fine gossamer-lace light, shining so beautifully it stole Lily's breath looking at it, exquisite in the black gloomy darkness of the dingy living room, was emanating in silvery threads from a deep wooden chest which was open at Perseus' feet.

He was shielding his eyes with one arm, and digging about in the chest with the other. Both Harry and Mark had their hands over their eyes to block the overpowering intensity radiating from the light. A faint tinkling sound, not unlike soft wind chimes, was pouring out as the light did as well.

But then the light's intensity and the sound reached such a pitch everyone scrunched up their eyes and blocked their ears, and Perseus slammed the lid down. The beautiful light and the reverberating sound died so abruptly Lily was left wondering if she'd dreamed it all.

"Here you are," said Persuse coldly to Harry as he slapped vial of clear liquid in his hands. "That will fix it all. If you tell anyone where from you got it, Potter, you will live to rue that day. Or perhaps not."

Oooooooooo00000000000ooooo

Lily did not dare ask what was in the vial. Harry's expression told her to keep quiet. He did not look angry, more an absurd mix of triumph and sadness.

As they stepped out onto the front step, preparing to Dissapperate again, Harry broke the silence.

"Onto your mother next, right?"

Lily nodded listlessly. She had almost forgotten. But her father's tragic goodbye did not seem important anymore. Seeing Perseus' face again had once more flooded her in those horrid memories. Wave after wave of them crashed mercilessly down upon her until she suddenly slumped down upon Harry and started to quietly cry.

"Lily," said Harry awkwardly. "What's wrong? Ca-…can you tell me what that was all about back there? Why were you calling Snape Perseus?"

Her replied came muffled into his shoulder.

"Because that's his real name. He's my half brother."

HEHE! Keep reviewing to keep me happy! Oh, and if anyone has any pointers, now would be the time to drop a hint! Come on...review! (provocatively) You know you want to... hehe! until next time! xoxoxox