"I have a what?" Harry Potter stammered, his green eyes filled with confusion. He sat down heavily in the large chair by Professor Dumbledore's desk, all the strength suddenly drained from him at Dumbledore's words.

Professor Dumbledore looked over his desk at Harry, a small smile on his kind face. "An aunt, Harry. Rose is your mother's – and your Aunt Petunia's – sister. Your parents hid her when you were a baby. When they knew Lord Voldemort wanted them dead."

Harry's face was pale; his body shook as if he were sick. He was confused, and a little excited. "I have a family," he whispered to himself. "But how has she been living all these years? Where has she been? Does she know about me? About our world?" A sudden thought struck Harry. "Does she know she's a witch?"

Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the rush of Harry's questions. "Yes, Harry, she knows about our world, and about you," he said, looking over his glasses at Harry. "Your parents gave her all new memories when they put her in hiding; she has lived as a Muggle these past fifteen years, not knowing any different. It was explained to her when she was younger that her family was killed in a car accident."

At these words, Harry sat up straight, remembering how his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had told him HIS parents were killed in a car crash. But at least she got to know her family, even if she doesn't remember knowing them, he thought to himself longingly.

"W-when can I meet her?" Harry asked, uncertainly. Did he want to meet her? She was a stranger, but yet she was family. The only family he had. Harry didn't count the dreaded Dursleys as family, although Petunia Dursley was his mother's sister.

"Now, if you like, Harry." Professor Dumbledore got up from behind his desk. "Madam Pomfrey informed me earlier that she was awake, and asking to meet you, too."

Harry stood outside the hospital wing door, afraid to go in. He knew that Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey had left him alone to meet Rose, but now he wished someone were here with him. He heard a noise behind him, and turned to see a large, orange cat. "Crookshanks," Harry breathed. "You scared me, you silly cat!" Harry said shakily, putting his hand over his heart to emphasize the fact. Crookshanks nudged his leg, as if to say, "Well, go on!"

Pushing the heavy door open, Harry saw a young woman sitting in the last hospital bed, reading a book. She looked up, and Harry was relieved to see that although she looked similar to his mother, Lily, she was not her twin. Harry didn't think he could have borne that. It would have been too weird.

"Hello, you must be Harry." Rose put her book aside and sat up a little straighter, holding out her hand as if she were being introduced to a business acquaintance. "I'm Rose," She looked down at her hand, and smiled sheepishly, realizing what she had done. Withdrawing her hand, she waited for Harry to pull up a chair.

"Hi," Harry said quietly.

"I know this must be pretty strange for you. I know it is for me. I mean, when those two professors came to my door and told me everything; I thought it was some joke. I thought I was on one of those new reality shows," Rose said quickly, seeming not to notice Harry's puzzled expression.

"I thought maybe somebody was playing a prank on me, and I just couldn't believe the extent of it. I mean, the costumes were great, and the story was really well concocted. But then, I realized that it wasn't a joke, and that it was all…really…true," Rose stopped to take a breath, realizing that she had been babbling.

"I'm sorry Harry, she said, glancing down in embarrassment. "I'm really nervous, and I when I get really nervous, I can't seem to shut up."

Harry laughed. "You're nervous? The only family I ever had was the Dursleys and they hate me…"

"I know, I lived with a foster family when I was younger, and I don't think they liked me much either!" Rose said, excitedly. Suddenly, it was if the just meeting a stranger feeling between them was gone, and they were just family members who hadn't seen each other in a very long time, catching up with each other's lives.

Severus Snape pushed open the doors to the hospital wing, but stopped when he saw Harry and Rose sitting and talking and laughing.

Rose, hearing the heavy doors creak, looked over and saw Snape standing in the doorway. She gave him a puzzled look as he turned quickly and left, letting the door crash behind him.

"Who was that?" she asked Harry.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Snape…well, Professor Snape. He teaches Potions here at Hogwarts. He went to school with my mum and dad and I know he hated my dad, and I think he's transferred all that hate to me now. I don't know why he'd be here though…maybe he was looking for Madam Pomfrey," he mused.

Rose looked at the doors…she could have sworn that she saw a sad look of longing in the dark eyes, but she shook her head slightly. Must have been the light, she thought, as she yawned loudly. "I'm sorry, Harry," She said quickly.

"It's okay, it's almost time for supper, so I need to be going," Harry stood up. Snape's brief presence seemed to have put a pall over him. He didn't understand why he was coming to the hospital wing, and he hoped it didn't have anything to do with Rose.

"Come back tomorrow Harry, so we can talk some more. I want to know everything about you!" Rose said, sinking down into the bed. She opened her green eyes so like Harry's and looked at her nephew. "I'm so glad to know that I have real family, " she said quietly.

"Me too, " Harry said, but Rose was already asleep, and didn't hear Harry's last quiet words. "Aunt Rose."

Snape paced his dungeon room. He wanted to go see Rose, explain to her how he had found her. He was the one that had found her; he was the one that saved her, by alerting Professor Dumbledore. If Voldemort had found her first, she would have been tortured and eventually, killed. And for nothing, he thought. She didn't even know who she was, let alone have been able to lead Voldemort to Harry. Severus stopped and passed a hand wearily over his eyes. Rose looked so much like Lily, yet he had to keep telling himself she wasn't Lily Evans. Lily Evans was dead.

"Drat that Potter boy!" Snape mumbled to himself. "Just like his father – always in the way and causing trouble."

He turned quickly, deciding to go see Rose and tell her how he felt about her…and Lily.

Rose sat up in bed, all of her earlier tiredness having drained away, listening to Severus Snape trying to describe his feelings for her sister, Lily. He seemed to be having a hard time explaining and expressing his deep emotions, instead, directing all his anger towards James Potter.

"And then that James Potter stole her away from me!" Snape thundered, his black eyes flashing with emotion. "How dare he take what was mine?"

Rose looked at him with sympathy…she hadn't known James well, and she didn't like the person that Snape was describing, but she wanted to give her sister's husband the benefit of the doubt.

"But Severus, it really doesn't sound as if Lily was yours…and anyway, you can't own someone's feelings."

Snape interrupted her, continuing his tirade as if hadn't even heard her.

"So, when I found you, I knew I had to save you. To protect you from Voldemort as I couldn't protect Lily from James Potter." Severus took a deep breath. Finally he had been able to explain to someone how he had felt about what James Potter had done to him.

"Thank you, Severus, for saving my life." Rose said quietly, feeling extremely sorry for the pale, dark haired man before her. "You must really have loved Lily," she said softly, hardly daring to breathe. Why couldn't she remember any of this? Although her memories had been altered, Rose was sure she would have remembered her sister mentioning someone who had loved her so deeply. Wouldn't she?

"I…I…did…" Snape breathed, looking into Rose's eyes…her beautiful green eyes that were so much like Lily's. He reached a hand towards Rose, trembling, and then swiftly drew back, as would a child who's afraid to touch something forbidden.

Rose reached for the hand that Severus had withdrawn, grabbing it and pressing her cheek against it, a single tear drop falling down her soft cheek onto Severus's rough hand.

"Tell me Severus…please. I don't remember anything about my sister. Tell me about you and Lily."