Author's Note: This is an alternative narrative to the Harry Potter series, which obviously (said in Snape's voice) means that some facts, storylines and even characters will be changed. This story is meant only for entertainment purposes. I do not own any of the original characters created by J.K. Rowling, only my own character, Rose Avery.

Chapter 2

I don't understand what I'm seeing. I stand frozen in place, staring at a woman that looks exactly like Lily Evans. From her face to her hair, to the height, to the curve of her build, absolutely everything is reminiscent of Lily. I shake my head to clear my mind, thinking that maybe my eyes have been bewitched. As I stare at her, she stands there staring right back at me, clearly scared out of her mind. Those all too familiar green eyes are wide with fear, and she is silently crying.

Suddenly I hear Voldemort laughing. "You can almost see your thoughts flying out of your head, Severus. I've never seen you with your guard down so much. My, this did turn out interesting, didn't it?"

At this point in time, I can't fully appreciate what Voldemort is saying to me. All I know is, the woman who I have been madly in love with almost my entire life, a woman who died twenty-two years ago, was standing a mere six feet from me. To hell with my thoughts and how I should be appropriately reacting. I throw all caution to the wind and shed my inhibitions. In three long strides I am standing right in front of her. Before I can process what my brain is telling my body to do, I feel my arms wrap tightly around her and hold her.

The last time I held Lily, she was dead, recently murdered by none other than the same man who was standing right behind me. I held her for what felt like an eternity, taking in her familiar scent, until her small voice breaks me from my spell.

"Sir, are you going to kill me?"

I pull back from the hug and look her in the eyes. "Are you crazy?" I ask, expressing the only words I could get out.

More tears start to fall down her cheeks and I quickly brush them away with my thumbs. After all these years, I still couldn't bear to see her in any kind of pain.

"Of course, I'm not going to kill you. Why would you think that?"

Voldemort said, "That's probably my fault, Severus. I've been holding onto her for quite some time now and let's just say, she's no fan of the Death Eaters."

I snap my head around and could not contain the venom in my voice. "You've been holding her hostage? For how long? What have you done to her?!"

My hatred was not lost on the Dark Lord. "Severus, I'm going to forgive the manner in which you wish to express yourself right now because I'm certain this is a very stressful and confusing time for you, but I caution you to calm down or else it won't be just you on the line."

And with that, Voldemort's eyes dart to Lily. I know this is no threat. He may not necessarily harm me because he needs me, but he would certainly hurt Lily. Now that I had her back, I could not allow that to happen.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly regain my composure. "I apologize, my Lord. I just don't understand what's happening."

"Come, come. Let's all sit and chat about it."

I watch Voldemort walk towards my sitting area.

I ask, "May I take these binds off of her?"

"Do as you wish. She's yours now."

I look at Lily and try to give her a reassuring smile. I don't think it has the intended effect because a slight sob escapes from her lips. I take out my wand and she recoils.

I hold my wand up to show her I mean her no harm. "Please believe that I would never hurt you. I'm just going to take the binds off you."

She gave a small nod of her head, and I removed the binding from her feet and wrists. I guide her by the small of her back and lead her to the armchair. I sit directly across from her on my piano bench. There was an irrational fear that if she left my sight, she would disappear forever.

I hear Voldemort give a soft snicker. "Don't be silly, Severus. She's not going to magically disappear."

Okay, now I absolutely know I must control myself. I do not let Voldemort into my true thoughts. I normally feed him some bullshit that I know he wants or expects to hear. I cannot allow my true feelings to show, especially now that Lily's life has been mixed into the equation.

"Where would you like me to start?" asks Voldemort.

The most important question sprang to my lips. "Is that really Lily Evans?"

"Do you want her to be?" was Voldemort's infuriating response.

I give him a look that clearly shows my annoyance, but to my relief, he merely chuckles. "I believe it is Lily."

"How? You killed her."

"Yes, I did and quite convincingly too. Puzzling."

I can't take my eyes off Lily, and I know it's making her uncomfortable. She keeps changing her position in the armchair, nervously fidgeting. That fidgeting pulled the corner of my lip upwards. Whenever Lily was anxious, she would fidget with anything she could get her hands on to try to calm herself. I now sit transfixed as this Lily does exactly as my old Lily did. It warmed my heart but also made me so incredibly sad.

I ask Lily, "Are you Lily Evans Potter?"

Her answer was immediate and with no sign of hesitation. "No."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Rose Avery. I don't know who Lily Evans Potter is."

As I sit watching her, but more importantly, listening to her, I had zero doubt that this was indeed Lily. It was not godly or humanly possible to create two people who looked, sounded, and acted the same exact way. From the way she swallowed before speaking, to the way she was rolling her left ankle counterclockwise out of nervousness, to the way her eyes met mine when she answered, this was Lily from top to bottom. I would bet my life on it.

I pull my wand and point it at her. As she did previously, she flinches. Now, that is something my Lily would never do, and it gave me great pause. Of course, I had no idea what Voldemort did to her before she got here, so it could be a reflex from being hurt.

I ignore her fear, wave my wand at her, and say, "Revelio."

Nothing happened.

Voldemort spoke up. "Do you think I hadn't done that already? This is no enchantment."

No, it wasn't. Whoever this person was, I sensed no sign of fraud, spell, enchantment, or curse. This was a normal female human who happened to depict Lily to a tee.

I say to Voldemort, "I can feel no sign of deception from her."

"Either can I. She's just a regular Muggle."

Now that got my attention. "Muggle? She's a Muggle?"

"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you. That is the only thing that is different from Lily. Well, I think anyway. I didn't really know Lily before I killed her, but I obviously remembered what she looked like and when I found this girl, I just couldn't believe it. Such a striking resemblance."

I nod my head. "Striking indeed."

Turning my attention back to Lily, I ask, "Where are you from?"

Voldemort straightened in his seat. "Oh, this is where it really gets interesting. Wait until you hear this."

I bite my tongue because I want to scream at him. He is truly enjoying himself. My anguish and confusion are entertainment to him. He's toying with me and loving every minute of it.

I ask her again, "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Great Britain, in a town called Cokeworth."

That's exactly where Lily's from.

Voldemort said, "Ask her birthday."

I jerk my head towards Lily, signaling that I want her to answer the question.

Once again, just like my Lily, she takes a small swallow before speaking. "The thirty first of October 1981."

I audibly gasp. That's the day that Lily died.

"Even more remarkable," says Voldemort, "Is that her time of birth is exactly two minutes after Lily's death. What do you make of that, Severus?"

I say the only thing that pops into my mind, "Reincarnation."

"Reincarnation," agreed Voldemort.

With both of us staring so intently at her, Lily was getting upset again. She knows she is in the hot seat and is desperate for this all to end.

"I don't understand what any of this has to do with me," she finally says. "I don't believe in reincarnation."

Voldemort says, "Yes, and up until a few weeks ago, you also didn't believe in magic either, my dear. Well, we showed you."

Lily shuddered. Whatever memory Voldemort just conjured up for her, she didn't like it.

"All I'm saying is, even if I am reincarnated and I was this Lily in a previous life, it's just that, a previous life. I am Rose Avery now. I don't know any of you and I don't feel that I should be held against my will all because I have the same hair color as this other woman."

Lily was oversimplifying things. It could be her Muggle demeanor. Since she was no longer magical, perhaps she couldn't think rationally. Muggles were always so emotional. They really lacked in the logic department.

Finally, I said, "You're right, Lily….I mean, Rose. You don't know us, but we can't simply ignore the fact that you're alive and could quite possibly be the reincarnate of Lily Evans. Now, I don't know the circumstances as to which you were brought here tonight, but I promise you, I will get to the bottom of it."

I give a poignant look at Voldemort. "In the meantime, the hour is late. I want you to stay here tonight."

I once again look over at Voldemort for some form of permission, even though I know there is no way in hell Lily is walking out that door with him.

Voldemort cleared his throat. "Like I said earlier, Severus. She is yours now. Do as you wish."

"I am not his."

I look up in surprise. The determinate delivery of that line was a dead ringer for Lily. She never liked being told what to do and when people referred to her as "James'", she would get extremely upset and go on a rant about how she was still her own person even though she was dating someone. This woman in front of me might want to live her life as Rose Avery, but I know she is my Lily. The only question was, how do I get her to accept it? And if she does accept it, could there be a second chance for us?