Sorry for the long absence. I return with many more chapters.
On this day after the mass breakout from Azkaban, quite a few people end on Lily's bad side.
LILY XLIII
On that Tuesday morning following the mass breakout of the Azkaban prison, the atmosphere was a mixture of panic and confusion at the staff table. Even if Lily, Minerva and Severus had been informed of the massive escape from Azkaban during a meeting of the Order in the middle of the night, neither had really recovered from the shock of such news. Even Severus was more broody than usual, scanning the Great Hall as if he expected one of the escapees to appear at any time. For the trained eye of Lily, it was clear he was keeping a close eye on the Slytherin table, where some students had parents who escaped. He also checked at the Gryffindor table from time to time.
As for Lily, while Dumbledore and McGonagall were discussing vividly, she watched the table of Gryffindor like Severus did. Harry had not arrived yet. In the meantime, Professor Sprout was staring at her morning edition of the Daily Prophet, where the Ministry of Magic announced the escape of the eleven Death Eaters, blaming it on Barty Crouch Junior, without a mention of Voldemort. Lily read the article. She was frustrated to see that despite this recent catastrophe, the Daily Prophet kept following the narrative line established by the Ministry. No reference was made about Voldemort in the entire edition. Even Dumbledore was not mentioned. Probably to avoid people from thinking about the truth, they didn't mention Harry nor Lily either. Unlike in the past few months, when the newspaper couldn't spend a day without depicting Harry, Lily or Dumbledore, or any of their allies in a negative way, it was now silent, as if they were afraid that even writing down their names could result in people thinking about their claims that Voldemort was back.
If professors were panicking, most students were taking their breakfast casually. They were cut off from the outside world, and few read the Daily Prophet in the morning. For now, they were unaware of the new danger that lurked outside the walls of the castle. Lily both envied and pitied them. They were unaware of the threat they were facing.
Still, Lily noticed some agitation there and there. At the Hufflepuff table, she saw Susan Bones reading an edition of the Daily Prophet. Lily closed her eyes. Her family was slaughtered by some of the Death Eaters who escaped prison. She had to feel terrorized right now. Lily noticed how thunderstruck Molly was last night. She had lost her two brothers to these criminals. Lily couldn't find Neville Longbottom in the Great Hall. She couldn't believe that she had seen him with his parents a few days ago, they who were tortured to madness by the Lestranges and Crouch Junior. She feared how the boy would react when he learned that the four people who destroyed his parents were now free.
Harry finally walked into the Great Hall after a time that looked without end for Lily. It wasn't long before his girlfriend came to him with her copy of the Daily Prophet. Lily couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was clear that her son was now aware of the massive escape from Azkaban. She noticed him casting a glance at her. She nodded gravely. She hoped he would interpret her words well.
Lily was not hungry this morning. She nonetheless forced herself to eat some broiled eggs and wrote secretly a note that she sent to Harry on the floor, in a way similar to what she did at the feast in the beginning of the year. She told him to see her during lunch time. They had to discuss about what just happened.
She left the staff table early, heading for her classroom where she would prepare her first lesson of the day.
She had just settled behind her desk when someone opened the door. She supposed that she shouldn't be surprised to see Harry heading her way, earlier than she told him.
"Is that true?" he asked without preamble. He seemed to assume, and he was right to, that Lily didn't need the specifics of what he was talking about.
"Yes, it's true," she confirmed.
"What… How did it happen?"
"We're not sure. But it seems that the Dementors let them escape. Both the Order and the Ministry are already chasing them."
"Chasing them?" Harry asked, unconvinced. "They don't seem to take it seriously. They claim it was Crouch Junior who did it."
"That's not very surprising,Harry. We couldn't expect Fudge to suddenly recognize you and Dumbledore have been right all along."
Harry sighed. "Hermione said about the same thing."
Lily refrained from smiling. As always, the girl was the voice of reason among Harry's friends.
"How are you doing?" she asked her son. He looked pale. She couldn't blame him, after the news he just received.
"Fine enough," he responded, not sounding very convincing.
"And Susan?How is she taking the news?"
Lily felt uncomfortable asking this. Harry's girlfriend remained an uneasy subject to broach. She was afraid that Harry might be reticent to talk about her, especially now that Lily was teaching the girl. She still didn't know much about her, despite the fact she and Harry had now been dating for nearly a year.
"Not well," Harry replied shortly, obviously depressed.
"Harry, look…" she began, not knowing very well how to reassure her son. "I know you probably heard it quite enough, but we're safe in Hogwarts. The Death Eaters are not going to get inside."
"That's what we thought about Pettigrew years ago. And Crouch managed to get in as well," he reminded her. She couldn't argue against his words. They were only the truth. "What are we going to do now?"
"I'm afraid there's not much we can do, Harry. Keep studying and learning. That's the best way for you to prepare and be ready to face the danger if you ever come across them."
Harry seemed frustrated. "I'm tired of being told to do nothing while all this happens."
"And what would you want to do, Harry? Go out and chase these people on your own? I can tell you right away that not only you wouldn't find them, but you would make yourself a target for Voldemort."
"I just… I wished I could do something!" He dropped his arms along his body. "I felt it yesterday."
Lily frowned. "What did you feel?"
"Him. I… I felt his joy… I didn't know back then, but… My scar burned, and I felt his joy when they escaped… I wasn't even asleep… And I felt it all the same."
Lily stared roundly at her son, slowly realizing what it meant. She looked down and sighed. Then she shook her head. Things were really only getting worse today. "You'll need to take your Occlumency lessons very seriously."
"I try," Harry said on the defensive. "But it's not easy to have Snape poking in your mind."
Lily sighed again. She knew this would be an obstacle. "Harry, I'll talk again to Snape if necessary, but please, you must do your utmost to learn Occlumency. I know you don't like him, and I'm not asking you to, but you must follow his lessons, however painful they are."
"So far, painful lessons with Snape didn't involve strangulation."
Lily froze at this. "What do you mean?" she asked very slowly. Harry looked reluctant to talk. "Harry, what happened?"
"Well… He grabbed me by the neck and put me against the wall after I fought off one of his attempts to enter my mind," he begrudgingly admitted.
The world was frozen around Lily for a moment. She looked at his neck. There were no marks. Still, when she moved, it was with a calm that surprised even herself.
"Go to your classes, Harry. I'll take care of Snape."
Harry didn't seem very enthusiastic as he left. Lily, on her side, was furious. About a minute after her son left, when she was sure he was far away, she left her classroom at a hurried pace. She barely acknowledged the arrival of three students who were to attend her lesson that would begin in a few minutes. She hurried down the stairs of the castle, going deep into the dungeons, finally arriving barely a minute before the bell rang.
The Potions classroom was already full. No student dared to risk arriving late for one of Snape's lessons. Well, they were in for a surprise today. Lily stormed into the classroom. Snape was already there, in front of the students, about to begin. He stared at Lily when she walked in. She felt her blood boiling. But she first looked at the students, who were all silent.
"Out. Everyone," she said on a tone that left no place for discussion.
No student moved. They looked at each other, at Lily and also at Snape, wondering what to do. Finally, it was Snape who broke the confusion.
"Everyone, go outside. Professor Evans and I need to discuss. Whoever is not gone in an instant will get a detention."
The students hurried out. Within ten seconds, the classroom was empty. Snape raised his wand and the doors closed. "What can I do for you, Lily?" he quietly asked.
Lily turned her back to him. She cast Locking Spells on every door, then threw a Muffliato Charm to ensure no one would hear what would happen next. She then pointed her wand at Snape. Before he could react, he was projected backwards against rows filled with jars and pots, which crashed on and around him when he landed on the floor. She watched him lying on the floor of those dungeons he chose as a residence, covered with filthy liquids and sticky moss. She felt no pity for him. Not even an ounce.
"I thought you had changed, but it is clear you didn't!" she shouted at him. "You're still that boy from school who enjoys cruelty. Who enjoys torturing others!"
She pointed her wand at him. It took all her willpower to not throw another curse at him. In this very moment, she understood better than ever why James and Sirius made fun and harassed Severus at every turn. Right now, she was ready to go farther than they had ever gone with him when they were kids.
"I warn you. If you ever raise your hand on my son again, I will kill you if necessary. Is that clear?"
Snape had not said a word, nor did he move after she projected him against the wall. He didn't show any sign of reaction. He simply stared at her, blankly. She looked at him and saw him for who he truly was. She should have known better, even after he saved her and Harry from Pettigrew. Deep down, he would never change. And if he had made a single, tiny, imperceptible movement, she didn't know what kind of curse she would have cast on him. Lucky for both of them, he didn't move. And the bell rang.
Lily turned her back on him. She removed the spells on the doors that allowed them to have their private discussion, and she opened the door. The students were waiting for her on the other side. Some seemed to have tried to look through the lock of the door, without success. They made a step backward when they saw her come out. She supposed her expression scared them.
"Your teacher is waiting for you," she said as she walked past them.
When she approached the stairs to leave the dungeons, Lily heard some students laugh behind her. It seemed like Snape had not managed to get back on his feet before the students found him in the sorry state Lily left him. Good thing. He would have a good idea of how his students felt when he humiliated and downgraded them.
As Lily made her way across the deserted corridors, she thought about what she just did. She had no regret about the state in which she left Snape. In her eyes, he deserved it. He was asked to teach Harry vital skills. Lily had asked him to take care of her son. And that was how he did it. By physically harming him. There were many things she could tolerate, but not someone being physically violent with her son.
But she regretted the way she reacted. She behaved impulsively. And she didn't think it would make things better. She should have gone to Dumbledore with that information instead. This is what she would do later today. But at the same time, she wondered what Dumbledore would do. This time, she would need a very good conversation with him, to make sure he truly understood the situation. She wouldn't allow Snape to be close to her son if he was to harm him.
She tried to calm herself. Harry was fine. He wasn't injured. Maybe she overacted. But she wouldn't apologize to Snape. Not for that kind of things.
When Lily arrived in her classroom, the bell had already rung five minutes ago. Students were sitting at their desks, waiting for her. And Umbridge was waiting for her as well. She wrote something down the moment Lily walked in. Lily ignored her and took place behind her desk.
"Let's start with today's lessons," Lily declared, not apologizing for being late. "Today, we're going to study…"
"You were late, Professor Evans," Umbridge cut her.
Lily clasped her fist, resisting the urge of telling Umbridge what she really thought about her. She still turned her head to stare at the woman, talking with the most control she could muster.
"And my class will not proceed faster if you interrupt me."
She turned back to her students, but before she could say anything, a hand was raised in the back of the classroom.
"Yes, Miss Wilkinson?" Lily authorized her to talk.
"Professor… I know it may not be related to this course, but… Is it true, what they say in the Daily Prophet? About the criminals who escaped?"
Lily forced herself to calm down again. Students didn't deserve to be lashed upon because of Snape's methods or because their parents kept them ignorant of the truth.
"To answer simply…" Lily began.
"Forgive me, Evans," Umbridge interrupted once again, "but before you might want to answer, you might want to recall the note I left on your desk this morning."
Lily frowned and turned with hostility towards Dolores. "I'm afraid you will need to enlighten me, High Inquisitor. Because I saw no note from you this morning."
Umbridge stood up, seeming even more satisfied. "Then I will show you, since you obviously missed it. I cannot blame you. Your first year in this school may excuse your lack of expertise and professionalism." Umbridge produced a scroll. "Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six."
"Another one?!" Lily said, exasperated. A large section of the classroom seemed to share her sentiment.
"I suggest you read it aloud, so students may be aware of their new professor's duties, since we couldn't make the decree known publicly yet."
Lily unfolded the scroll and read it aloud with the same enthusiasm she would in reading instructions to install a video player.
"In accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six, to ensure students receive the best available education and prevent any power abuse or inappropriate influence as the result of a teacher's position, teachers are hereby instructed to limit their interactions with their students to the content of the subjects they are tasked to teach. Teachers are henceforth banned from giving students any information that is not strictly related to the subjects they are paid to teach. Students are encouraged to inform the High Inquisitor of any disrespect of this directive to ensure they receive proper education."
Lily read the decree. She shot a look at Umbridge, who was smiling very largely… and cruelly. Lily understood. Rage grew up within her. This time though, she wouldn't make the same mistake as with Snape. If Dolores wanted to play, Lily would play.
She handed abruptly the scroll at Umbridge, stopping just short of throwing it at her, and turned towards her students.
"Forgive me for being interrupted by the High Inquisitor, Miss Wilkinson. To answer your question, yes, if you read the Daily Prophet, everything it said about the eleven criminals who escaped Azkaban last night is true."
A wave of fear went through the classroom. Lily could see that some students just learned of it. They probably didn't read the newspaper this morning, or they had no one who shared the news with them yet. And for those who already knew, hearing a confirmation obviously was terrifying if not confusing.
"Professor Evans, do you know how to read?" Umbridge asked. Before Lily could reply she knew perfectly well how to read, another student raised her hand and talked before Lily gave her the authorization.
"Who escaped Azkaban?"
"Eleven people, who were almost all serving a life sentence. Among them there was Antonin Dolohov, who was sent to prison for two murders…"
"Lily Evans Potter!" Dolores Jane Umbridge thundered. This brought the murmuring in the classroom to an end. "I order you to stop terrorizing these poor children or else…"
"Or else what? You will write another report on me? How many have you done so far?"
Umbridge was red out of rage. "You are forbidden from…"
"Discussing anything that is not related to Defence Against the Dark Arts."
"Strictly related," Umbridge specified.
"Well, I consider that the escape of a dozen highly dangerous criminals is directly and strictly related to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Unless the Ministry of Magic considers them to not be a danger nor followers of the Dark Arts against which we need to defend ourselves."
This seemed to make Umbridge hesitate, but only for a moment. She then turned to the students.
"My dear children, let me reassure you. There is absolutely…"
"Among the other escapees…" This time, it was Lily who cut Umbridge, "there is Augustus Rookwood, a former employee of the Department of Mysteries who…"
"EVANS, I ORDER YOU TO SHUT UP!"
This time, Umbridge had screamed. Lily looked at her and shot her a satisfied smile. She then ignored her and turned back to her students. "You must know, because the Daily Prophet didn't mention this information, that all those who escaped Azkaban were known supporters and allies of Lord Voldemort."
You could hear a fly in the classroom. Lily had done it. She had crossed the line. She watched from the corner of her eye Dolores Umbridge, livid. She was even trembling. Lily felt she had won. Umbridge could do nothing against her right now. She couldn't order the students to not listen to her. Anyway, even if she did, Lily suspected no one would obey. They would be too interested by what she had to say. Seemingly realizing she wouldn't win this battle, Umbridge stormed out of the classroom, though Lily noticed the glimpse of a smile on her lips before she left.
"Augustus Rookwood, as I said," Lily went on, "provided highly classified, secret, sensitive information to Voldemort." The second mention of the name caused the entire classroom to shiver. "Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange all received a life sentence for torturing to madness two Aurors, after their master had disappeared."
Lily went on to give them information about every criminal. She even reminded them of the other fugitive, Barty Crouch Junior, who escaped long ago and had posed as Alastor Moody for the whole previous year.
"Do you think he helped them all to escape?" a student asked.
"It's not unlikely," Lily said. "I am not going to speculate on how these prisoners escaped. However, given how difficult it is to only get one person out of Azkaban, the eleven fugitives must have received tremendous assistance to all escape at the same time."
"Do you think they are Animagus? Like Pettigrew?"
"From what we know, nothing suggests they are. Of course, since we don't know how they escaped, even this hypothesis cannot be rejected."
"Do you think the Ministry will catch them?"
Lily sighed internally. "I certainly hope so. I worked as an Auror there for over a year, not to mention my years of training when I assisted my colleagues. The Ministry is full of well-intentioned people who only want one thing right now, and this one thing is to catch these people. But there are eleven of them who escaped, and they escaped from Azkaban. Only this is a tremendous feat. So I will not pretend that everything will be fine and they will all be caught by the end of the week, because I would be lying to you. No one can say when they will be caught." If they were ever caught.
"It was him, wasn't it? You-Know-Who? He set them free?"
The class was silent again. They broke a wall when Lily said his name aloud. Now a student had crossed through another wall by suggesting he was behind this.
"I cannot give you an answer with certainty," Lily finally answered, reluctantly. she still had to be careful with the Ministry. "I have no proof they were freed by Voldemort." New shivers from the students. But Lily was telling the truth. She had no proof. "But the only thing all these prisoners had in common, aside from all being prisoners, was that they all served the same master. And they all ended up in prison for crimes that they committed for Lord Voldemort."
Whispers grew higher.
"Are we safe?" a normally shy girl asked.
"I cannot guarantee your complete safety," Lily said, "not after everything that happened here at Hogwarts these last few years, and especially not after one of your school comrades was murdered last year. But Hogwarts remains the safest place in the wizarding world. That I can guarantee you."
They discussed about Azkaban's mass breakout for the better part of half an hour. Students went so far as to ask Lily if she ever faced some of these criminals. She replied to them with parsimony. Students eventually asked how they could defend themselves against them, and Lily used it as an opportunity to remind them of what she told them at the beginning of the year. Defence Against the Dark Arts was meant specifically to prepare them for this kind of situation. In light of tonight's events, this was even more important. The best they could do was to study the subject and practice extensively.
The same phenomena happened with today's second lesson. Students asked her questions about the massive escape from Azkaban, she answered their questions the best she could, trying to not compromise herself too much, then she moved to the lesson itself. In both cases though, she noticed the students were more determined, more focused. They took the class way more seriously. Before lunch, some even expressed the desire of practicing more outside class hours.
Despite the dire news and what Lily heard about Harry's Occlumency lessons earlier, Lily's morning was very good. For the first time in a very long period, Umbridge had not been there to disturb her classes with her grating feather, insufferable coughing and unwanted interruptions. She almost felt liberated, being able to discuss freely with her students. The new educational decree could go to hell.
Once the morning lessons were over, Lily didn't head for the Great Hall, nor to her own office. She instead went directly to Dumbledore's office. She was way calmer than when Harry told her about Snape's attitude. It was probably for the best she didn't go to Dumbledore right away. She wouldn't have had the mental state to discuss with him. She felt better disposed to report the situation. But she was as unwilling to forgive like earlier today.
Lily had arrived in front of the gargoyle.
"Fizzing Whizzbee."
It started to rise and turn on itself, revealing the stairs leading the Headmaster's Office. Lily climbed these stairs, but she was forced to stop midway when she came face to face with… Severus Snape.
As always, Snape didn't show any emotion when he saw her. Lily wondered if he had any emotion besides contempt and hatred. She sustained his gaze, waiting for him to do something. She even subtly gripped her wand in her pocket.
But Snape only stood aside, leaving her free way to keep climbing the stairs.
"The Headmaster is waiting for you," he said on his calm, neutral tone he always took.
Lily shot him a disgusted stare as she furiously walked past him. She wondered what he told Dumbledore. She supposed she would find out soon enough. But if Dumbledore hoped that she would apologize for what she did this morning, however inappropriate her reaction was, then he was seriously wrong. Lily would not apologize to Snape. She wouldn't apologize to a man who never apologized, not even for selling her husband and her whole family to Voldemort.
Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk when she walked in, his fingers crossed. Under his calm demeanor, she could perceive some agitation, displeasure, and even anger. He looked mildly surprised when Lily walked in. He sighed.
"I see there is no use asking you to come, Lily," he said.
"No, there isn't," she retorted. She sat down without being invited. "So, you just talked with Snape, I guess."
Dumbledore looked tired all of a sudden. "Yes, I talked with Severus. In fact, he's the one who came to talk to me."
Lily scoffed. "I see."
"Yes, he had a lot to say." Dumbledore looked directly to her. "I apologize, Lily." She was taken aback for a moment. "I knew the Occlumency lessons would be difficult for Harry, especially with Severus teaching him, but I severely misjudged the situation and how it could deteriorate so quickly."
Lily frowned. There was something she didn't get. "What did Severus Snape tell you?"
"Everything. How bad the first Occlumency lesson with Harry went, how he more than misbehaved with your son, and the visit you paid him this morning."
Lily feared how Dumbledore would react. She was suddenly back to being a kid in her first year, feeling she had done something wrong. But the Headmaster instead threw her a half-smile. "You haven't lost your aim. Severus still had a bump on the back of his head when he arrived."
Lily was back to being an adult immediately, rolling her eyes. "With all your respect, Dumbledore, I have no heart for jokes right now."
"No, I'm sure you don't," Dumbledore acknowledged, taking back his serious expression.
"I'm not going to apologize, if that's what you want," she said defiantly.
"Nor do I ask you to. Severus is not asking for it either. In fact, he seemed genuinely regretful for… overreacting."
"Overreacting?" Lily scoffed, outraged. "What he did was…" She had no word strong enough to describe how unacceptable it was. "There are many things I can support, Dumbledore… But someone harming my son… Physically harming him… That's not something I will ever tolerate."
"Me neither, Lily. I just spent the last half-hour giving Severus one of the harshest lessons he will ever receive in his life. I may not have used magic on him, but I can guarantee you he was in no better state when he left this office."
"I don't care. I'm not letting him anywhere near Harry again. Is that clear?"
She wouldn't flinch on that. She wasn't going to let him be violent with her son. Dumbledore seemed very troubled at this moment.
"Lily, I share your sentiment. Truth be told, I considered teaching Occlumency to Harry myself when Severus told me what happened. But we all know this is too risky. I cannot compromise myself and turn Harry into a more attractive target for Voldemort. I am afraid that Severus Snape is the only person in Hogwarts who may teach the discipline to Harry."
"Well, I will not allow it. I gave second chances to Severus far too many times. I closed my eyes on his hatred and crimes so many times when we were at Hogwarts." She sighed. "After Pettigrew's death, I thought I could give him the benefit of the doubt, that maybe he had changed… but he has not. He may have turned his back on Voldemort, but inside he is still that hateful, prejudiced, quarrelsome, cruel child who enjoys not only to see other people suffer, but who enjoys making them suffer. So I'm not going to let him anywhere near Harry anymore. If need be, I'll even denounce him to Umbridge if that can keep him far away."
"Lily, please, don't do this," Dumbledore warned her. "You know that she will only use this as an opportunity to fire you." He leaned forward. "Lily, I'm not judging you, but you assaulted a fellow teacher. If this ever comes to the Ministry's ears, they will use it as an excuse to get rid of you. You know they're only waiting for a reason to force you to leave."
She knew it only too well. Ever since Fudge created the position of High Inquisitor and the committee responsible for deciding teachers' fate, Lily had been the main target of Umbridge's reports. Three reports had been given so far to the committee, each recommending that Lily be fired, highlighting her supposedly dangerous and ineffective teaching methods, and privileged treatments she gave to some students, especially her son. Allowing students to use dangerous spells on each other in class, unfair disciplinary sanctions, protecting her son and his friends from being disciplined… Umbridge missed no chance to get at her. Lily was even summoned by the committee to justify some of her actions. Luckily enough, she had Dumbledore's support, and they always arrived ready at these convocations. When Harry and Draco Malfoy nearly fought after their Quidditch match, Umbridge's claims that Lily unfairly protected Harry was revealed to be incorrect when it was shown both he and Malfoy got the same disciplinary sanctions, and also when they revealed the results of the investigation the Ministry led. Although Ministry representatives on the committee were openly hostile to Lily, the Governors and parents were more supportive. Surprisingly enough, the Governor who questioned Umbridge's conclusions the most was Madhara Patil. It was ironic that one of the people defending Lily was the mother of Harry's former girlfriend.
For now, the Governors supported Dumbledore and kept blocking Umbridge's attempts, but they all felt it was only a matter of time before pressure mounted enough for Umbridge and Fudge to fire someone. Trelawney and Hagrid were already on probation. And after their altercation this morning, Lily was sure that Umbridge would try to use it against her. If she found out what she did to Snape, Lily was done.
"Well, I wasn't supposed to stay longer than this year, anyway," Lily said, trying to sound dismissive. Anyway, she never seriously intended to report Snape to Umbridge.
"And would you like someone chosen by Fudge and Umbridge to replace you early?"
She already knew the answer. "Of course not."
"Very well then. I may have a solution to ensure this will never happen again."
"How? By making Severus Snape promise he will never do it again?"
"No. By allowing you to be present during the Occlumency lessons." Lily was shocked by the proposal, but Dumbledore went on. "Severus will not dare to raise his hand on Harry while you're present."
Lily thought about it. Yes, the solution made sense. Though would even that force Snape to hold back?
"I must warn you, Lily," the headmaster continued, "watching these lessons is not going to be easy. Learning Occlumency is a hard and painful process. It forces Harry to live again his past, sometimes very troubling moments of his past. In fact, this is because Severus pushed too far into Harry's past that we found ourselves in this situation today."
"What do you mean when you say he pushed too far into his past?"
Dumbledore looked at her. "So… Harry didn't tell you about this?"
"We didn't have much time to talk today. And… he only reluctantly told me about the strangling."
Dumbledore sighed. "I see." He sat back deep into his chair. "Severus made numerous memories of Harry's past resurface. It's unavoidable so that he may learn to close his mind. Unfortunately, Severus allowed his personal feelings to get the better of him. He pushed too far and resurfaced Harry's memories of the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill him."
Lily remained unresponsive for a time, trying to get a hold on what Dumbledore just said. Harry… remembering the night when…
"That's impossible! Harry was barely one-year-old back then. How could he remember this?"
Dumbledore looked even more tired as he replied. He said a single word that could explain everything. "Dementors." Lily's eyes widened in understanding. "I suspect that when Harry was exposed to them and they resurfaced portions of that night, it made its way into his mind, one way or another, and Severus unwillingly unlocked them in an even clearer shape yesterday, when he pushed Harry to his limits. I suspect this is why he was so hard on your son, Lily. It was a combination of frustration at seeing Harry fail so miserably in closing his mind… that is according to Severus, not me," Dumbledore said quickly, seeing her reaction. "And I believe Severus was also… distraught and at loss when he glimpsed the consequences of his actions."
Lily remained thoughtful for quite a while. She knew about the effect Dementors had on Harry. Remus had given her additional details of what happened when he taught Harry how to create a Patronus. But Harry only heard screams and voices when he was near Dementors. Now, if he had clear memories… She closed her eyes. She should have asked him more questions when he came to see her, instead of running after Snape and giving him a piece of her mind.
"I'll talk to Harry," she muttered.
"Yes, I believe it would be good for him," Dumbledore agreed.
"But that doesn't excuse what Snape did to him," Lily snapped. She stared at Dumbledore. "You said he needed Occlumency. And that aside from you, Severus is the only one who can teach him?"
"Yes, it is the truth."
"Okay," she said begrudgingly. "I will let Snape to continue teaching Harry under my supervision, but under one more condition."
"Say it," Dumbledore said calmly, openly.
"He must apologize. To Harry. And in our presence."
She stared at Dumbledore, making him known very clearly that she wouldn't be convinced otherwise. She should have forced Snape to do that with James and many other people a long time ago. Maybe she couldn't influence him when he was a child, maybe she couldn't change neither the child or the adult… but she could at least force the adult to assume his responsibilities.
"As you wish, Lily. I'll arrange something for tonight, after the classes."
"Good. And he better not make Harry pay for this, or else I will make him pay personally, and a hundred times more."
"I'll make sure he is conscious of that, Lily. There are many things Severus doesn't fear, but you're not one of them."
Why it was like that remained a great mystery to Lily. She was about to leave the office, but she thought about something else at this moment.
"Dumbledore… there is something else I would like to talk about."
"What is it?"
"The students… Teaching them to defend against the dark arts… I cannot do that when I only spend a few hours per week with them… And with the rules in Hogwarts that prohibit them from using Magic in the corridors, and also prohibit them from fighting each other with magic… How can they learn to master defensive spells? Especially now, with all those Death Eaters on the loose… How can I hope to teach them efficiently enough that they will not be defenceless outside? Aurors are trained intensively for three years, and we keep training afterwards, and yet we are often unprepared to face danger. So how can a few hours per week over a few months be sufficient to make sure they are prepared?"
Dumbledore nodded. "I see what you mean, Lily. Unfortunately, we cannot have them dedicate all their time to learning how to defend themselves. Self-defence is not everything in life."
"I know, but… Couldn't we give them more opportunities to train, at least for those who would be interested? Through a Duelling Club, for example?"
Dumbledore smiled, in a way that looked both sad and amused.
"Believe it or not, Lily, I have thought about it. Duelling Clubs have been controversial ever since Hogwarts opened, but we are in one of those periods when we would desperately need one."
"Then let's establish one."
"This is not as simple as it seems, Lily. Like I said, they are controversial. Every time a Duelling Club was opened, it was eventually shut down because students got injured, parents complained the school was endangering their children or teaching them to fight, or teachers supervising them quit. And we both know that you're leaving at the end of this year."
Lily didn't flinch. "Even if I'm leaving, in a few months, I would rather use it to give as much knowledge and training to the students as I can."
Dumbledore smiled kindly. "This honours you, Lily. However, like I said, Duelling Clubs are controversial. And guess who is waiting for the first controversy to kick us both out of Hogwarts."
Lily sighed in frustration. "Fudge and Umbridge."
"Yes. The moment I authorize the creation of a Duelling Club, the Ministry is going to use it against me. And it will use it against you as well."
Lily shook her head in consternation. Even if she was ready to take risks, she couldn't take too many, or else the Ministry would find a way to get rid of her much before the end of the year. And she didn't want them to fire Dumbledore either. After months spent teaching here, she had understood that even Dumbledore was not untouchable. And after she just dared to speak loudly about Voldemort to the students in Umbridge's presence, it was sure that Umbridge would not let her go. Lily was certainly next to be on probation.
"There has to be something we can do. Voldemort has been back for over six months now. He already managed to get the giants and the werewolves to his side. Now he has the Dementors in his pocket as well. They let escape all his supporters who were in Azkaban. I can't just continue giving regular classes as if nothing changed."
Dumbledore stared at her quizzically for a moment. Then he smiled wildly.
"Lily, you just gave me a wonderful idea." Lily frowned. "One against which Fudge and the Ministry will not be able to do anything." Dumbledore then looked aside. "At least, not immediately."
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