Can't Catch Me Now / Severus Snape

21. Love

"I'm fine," Lilith murmured. "I just need Harry to wake up."

"Let me double check your wounds." Madam Pomfrey countered. "There is nothing i can do for your son right now, let me check on you." Lilith grumbled lifting her shirt. Severus held tight to her hand.  "Healing nicely." 

"As I said." Lilith sassed pulling her shirt back down. 

"Excuse us." Severus agreed. 

"We need to be play on the defensive, we have been playing pretend for too long, he is here." Lilith whispered. "He is getting stronger, that was close." 

"Why did Harry's touch burn Quirrell?" Severus whispered. 

"I dont know." Lilith whispered. "And I dont like what I dont know." Lilith pursed her lips, her eyes widening. 

"What? You thought of something." Severus realized.  Lilith nodded slowly as she pushed away the bile rising in her throat. 

"Voldemort." Lilith answered. "He wasnt full, he was... they are connected maybe... but... I dont know." Lilith whispered moving back to Harry's bed and laying beside him. She kissed his cheek holding gently to him. "I just want him to wake up." She whimpered. "I need him to be okay." 

When Harry blinked awake Lilith was curled up beside him. Severus was asleep in the chair and Aria was rummaging through his gifts. Harry touched his mum's arm but she didnt wake. 

"Good afternoon, Harry. Ah. Tokens from your admirers?" Albus remarked touching the candy and flowers.

"Those are mine, I claimed them." Aria corrected grabbing a chocolate from him. 

"Admirers?" Harry questioned. "Is my mum okay?"

"What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows." Albus offered.

"Harry." Severus remarked sitting up, they had been up most of the night and morning so of course the moment they took a nap he woke up. 

"Dad." Harry reached out for him and Lilith hummed shifting in her sleep. 

"You are okay, you feel okay? You hurt?"

"I'm okay." Harry assured. 

 "Ah, I see your friend Ronald has saved you the trouble of opening your Chocolate Frogs." Albus remarked. "Or perhaps it was your sister." 

"They are hard to open, they hop away. I lost one of them and gave up." Aria agreed. 

"Ron was here? Is he all right? What about Hermione?"

"Fine. They're both just fine, your mother found them before heading to you."

"But, what happened to the Stone?" Harry whispered.

"Relax, dear boy. The stone has been destroyed. My friend Nicholas and I had a little chat and agreed it was best all around." Albus assured.

"But Flamel, he'll die, won't he?" Harry realized.

"He has enough Elixir to set his affairs in order. But yes, he will die." Albus agreed sitting on the edge of harrys bed. Lilith felt the shift of the bed and her eyes peeled open. 

"How is it I got the Stone, sir? One minute I was staring in the mirror, and the next..."

"Harry," Lilith rasped. "Oh my baby boy!" 

"Mama," Harry felt like a child again as he held her. He felt her tears on him.

"I was so worried about you." Lilith whimpered. 

"I'm okay mama, I'm okay." Harry assured. "Do you know the stone works?"

"What?" lilith countered confused. 

"How I got it." Harry clarified. Lilith looked to Albus. 

" You see, only a person who wanted to find the Stone, find it, but not use it, would be able to get it. That is one of my more brilliant ideas. And between you and me that's saying something." albus informed him.

"Does that mean, with the Stone gone, I mean, that Voldemort can never come back?"

"Ah, I'm afraid there are ways in which he can return." Albus corrected and LIlith tensed. Not if she had anything to say about it. "Harry, do you know why Professor Quirrell couldn't bear to have you touch him?" Albus pondered, Harry shook his head, lilith was wondering the same thing. "It was because of your aunt Lily." Severus took a step closer confused.  "She sacrificed herself for you, and that kind of act leaves a mark." Harry touched his scar. "No, no, this kind of mark cannot be seen. It lives in your very skin."

"What is it?" Harry questioned.

" Love, Harry, love." Albus answered before standing up. "Ah. Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. I was most unfortunate in my youth to come across a vomit flavored one, and since then I have lost my liking for them. But I think I could be safe with a nice toffee..." Albus took a brown bean and ate it. "Mm. Alas. Earwax."

"Your aunt lily and uncle stinky never had children." Lilith remarked softly. "She loved you like a son... the son she always wanted. That awful night she... she did everything she could to save you, that much was clear." Lilith agreed. Harry saw the pain in her eyes as she remembered that night, remembered her sister dead before her, Lilith could hear Harry's screams and cries, could see his little tears as a scar burned on his forehead. Lilith blinked away the memory tears falling down her cheeks.