A/N: Hi everyone. This was quite an interesting chapter to write, but also difficult at times. It required a lot of thought, but if you enjoy it, then it would have all been worth while!
Please enjoy and don’t forget to comment and vote; I’d be really interested to know what you think about this chapter.
‘To do what is right’
Chapter 12
Number 12 Grimmauld Place was deserted- since last being there, it seemed it had hardly been touched even though Yaxley knew exactly where it was having hitched a ride on Hermione’s robes from the Ministry months ago. Hoping that no one would disturb them now that Voldemort was defeated, Hermione and Harry double checked the many floors before securing the place with every protective spell they knew they then settled side by side on the couch.
Once Harry and Hermione were seated, all they could do was stare at the envelope that Harry had refused to put down until that moment. Without really knowing for certain, they both had a feeling that whatever was inside had something to do with Professor Snape. Then taking a deep breath, Harry slowly opened the envelope, his palms sweating, his hands almost shaking as he held his breath as he pulled out two pieces of parchment.
Opening them gently, Harry began to read, but moved the paper a little closer to Hermione so she could read it too.
The Will and testament of Severus Snape
Professor Severus Snape has officially notified the Ministry of Magic that upon his death he wishes for all of his property contained within the confines of his home at Spinner’s End to be, henceforth, the property of Mr. Harry James Potter.
Harry slowly turned to stare at Hermione who was already watching him: everything Professor Snape owned was now… his? He couldn’t quite believe it and given that Hermione was already at the end of the page, Harry continued to see what else Severus had decided to surprise him with.
Professor Snape has further stated that he wishes for his belongings that reside at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to be given to the school as well as the potions and ingredients that he stores in his laboratory at Spinner’s End.
And so the first page continued stating the laws under which the Will had been created, assuring its reader that the above were Professor Snape’s intentions and so on. Harry was expecting the second page to be similar, but he was quite wrong.
The following is addressed to Mr. Harry James Potter. In the event of Professor Snape’s death, it is the order of the Ministry of Magic and the deceased that the following be given to Mr. Harry Potter.
Warning: If you are not Mr. Harry Potter or within the presence of the stated, then refrain from reading further.
Dear Harry,
I suspect that reading this must have come as a surprise to you, for although he have been on more friendlier terms of recent, I think few would have expected that I would have wished for most of my property to be given to you. Nevertheless, up until this moment the only individual alive to have known such an intention was the ministry official who had the opportunity to read this document in order to certify my intentions.
Powerful magic has been placed on his piece of parchment. I hope you are in a private location with few others around you, for what you are about to receive are both private and unique.
Harry’s eyes widened and again he turned to Hermione, who forced herself to stop reading in order to look back at her friend. What private and unique objects could Severus be referring to?
Here is the key to my house.
And as Harry read it, his mind was immediately set to looking about the floor thinking that he must have dropped the key when he opened the letter, only to see it floating in front of him. Now Harry knew what Professor Snape meant about the magic of the parchment, for when Harry had read that the key would be given to him, so it was.
And this is yet another letter.
Suddenly, Harry felt a heavy weight on his lap as a great wad of parchment landed with a thud, making Harry jump a little.
Please make your way to my house, enter my property and open the letter- DO NOT OPEN THE LETTER UNTIL YOU ARE IN SPINNER’S END.
Take care Harry,
Professor Snape.
Without hesitation, the two friends grabbed their things, left Grimmauld Place, placing protections around it as they left and Hermione apparated them to Spinner’s End.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It took them a while to find Professor Snape’s house. Although they had the address, without a map they had to rely on the directions from others in order to find out where the man once lived. However, Harry got the distinct feeling that few of those who lived in Spinner’s End knew Severus and those who did, did not wish to speak of him. It was only after pleading with an elderly man, that he gentleman gave in and pointed towards the ‘Snape’ house. Thanking the man, Harry and Hermione practically ran to the house exactly one street over and after Hermione managed to remove the protective spells, Harry hardly staying still due to his anticipation, they used the key to unlock the door and before Harry knew it, they were inside Severus’ home.
Hermione closed the door behind them, for all Harry concerned himself with was the scene before him. He had always imagined Professor Snape to be tidy and clean, which his house was. But it seemed the man had not been there for a long time, for balls of dust had gathered on the shelves and tables and the place had a musty feel to it. Given that Professor Snape was a teacher, he doubted the man ever returned home except during the summer, but nevertheless, it was in that moment that Harry realised that Professor Snape would never walk into his home again and it was strange to think that exactly one year ago, Severus was likely in that very house having a drink or working in his laboratory.
Harry walked around the house amazed; hardly speaking to Hermione- it was as if he had completely forgotten about the second, very bulky letter he had received from the man whose house he was in. After exploring the entire house, the laboratory being by far the most interesting room, Harry then came to a halt when he realised that this was all his… Professor Snape had left it all to him and as grateful as he felt, Harry knew he could never see this place as his own- it would always be Severus’.
After finding Hermione, who had stayed in the laboratory for the entirety of Harry’s self tour around the house, they both went into the living room, lit a wood fire in the fire place. Harry took yet another deep breath as he opened the second letter he had received from Severus that day.
Dear Harry,
I hope you are comfortable and do not find my house too unkempt for your liking- I regret to say that I never took much care in keeping it clean, only tidy, if such a combination could exist. Nevertheless, I hope you will one day manage to clean the place up, but only if you desire to of course.
You will not find out why it is imperative that you be in my house to read this letter until its conclusion, but I ask that you do not skip ahead to seek that answer just yet. I assure you that the wait will be worth your while.
Of this, Harry had no doubt and eagerly continued reading with Hermione leaning close to him in order to better read Severus’ small, cramped writing.
Before I begin, I am assuming that you are reading this letter because I did not survive what hopefully was the Dark Lord’s downfall. Therefore, I write assuming that you have not long farewelled all those who died in the battle, including myself and are perhaps rather vulnerable. In saying this however, I hope my letter will bring some joy to you and relieve some of your suffering, if only for a while. I wrote this very long letter whilst I was Headmaster at Hogwarts. At this very moment, I know Albus is attempting, however unsuccessfully, to read what I am writing, but I wish the content of this letter to be kept a secret, unless you particularly wish to tell others what it contains: I am sure your friends Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley will be keen to know what I have left you and I give you every permission to share it with them, but I do hope you will refrain from making all of this public. I trust in your secrecy.
Upon reading this, Hermione hesitated a little and stopped as if waiting for Harry to give her the okay that he wanted to her to continue reading. Harry did not know what the letter contained, but he shared everything with Ron and Hermione and this would be no different. After everything they had been through, he wanted to share this with them.
We promised, a few months ago, to talk about your mother once the Dark Lord has fallen. Although I was not expecting to die, the possibility was always there and so I wrote this letter in preparation for such an occasion. Here, in this letter, contains a small portion of my memories of your mother and I feel I can safely say that no one else has been privy to all of this information in the way that I have.
From the first moment I met Lily, she enchanted me; she was unlike any girl I had ever seen and even at that time, when we were only ten years of age, I already knew that she was someone I could truly admire, if given the opportunity of course. Once I had befriended her, which I admit was rather difficult given the reputation I had in the area, for Lily and I lived in neighbouring suburbs, we became good friends- best friends if I am not mistaken. Our life at Hogwarts was at times very complicated, especially given that she and I were in rivaling houses and few appreciated our friendship. Yet despite all of the teasing and multiple humiliations I received, primarily from your father and Black, we managed to stay close friends. I had become friendly with the other Slytherins in my dorm but they were simply acquaintances- they did not know me like Lily did. I do not know how she felt about me, but it would be no surprise to you that I loved her, dearly. My childhood, as you may have noticed from the few times you managed to penetrate my defenses during Occlumency in your fifth year, was unpleasant- I was made to feel worthless by my father and unloved by my mother, I felt I had nothing and would have had just that, had it not been for your mother.
Harry smiled, so happy that his mother was such an important part of Professor Snape’s life.
Lily was more than my friend, she was there for me during some of the hardest years of my life. She was strong, she stood up to your father and Black and she was bright, cheerful even and every moment the very sight of her reminded me that I had something- I had her.
But when we reached our fifth year, life at Hogwarts became much more difficult than either of us would have liked. Your father was becoming ever so persistent with pursuing your mother and people were delving even further into exactly what our relationship was, because according to them, there was no reason good enough to be in the presence of someone from Gryffindor unless you were dating and even that in itself was considered the worst sort of betrayal. But Lily and I were not dating and although it was something I wished, even dreamed about, I do not believe, even to this day, that she was that way inclined.
As you witnessed during your fifth year, it was during mine that I lost Lily’s friendship due to a combination of my outburst in addition to the pressure that had been placed on us that year. And as you saw only a few months ago, I suffered greatly as a consequence of losing her friendship- not only was I friendless, though I am sure my fellow Slytherins would have asserted that they were my friends, but Lily refused to even speak to me. The remainder of my schooling consisted of bitterness, frustration, regret and loneliness- losing Lily’s friendship was the worst thing that ever happened to me with the exception of her death, of course.
Given the above and the memories you saw before the beginning of what would have been your seventh year, I hope they showed you the type of relationship I had with your mother whilst we were at Hogwarts. However, I wonder whether you have ever considered whether I saw Lily between leaving Hogwarts and the night of her death?
Harry held his breath, hoping…
The answer would be yes. But before I explain to you exactly what happened during those 3 or so years, for I did not see Lily after you were born, I understand that you have been told by many, including Albus, that your parents were excellent people as they were witch and wizard; not only were they skilled in the art of magic but a couple that many everywhere admired and respected. I do not know if Remus or your God father ever enlightened you as to why it was such a tragedy the night your parents died. While many were relieved that the Dark Lord was apparently finished, I know that Albus and Minerva were more distraught by the loss of Lily and James Potter. In writing what I know will be an extensive letter, I wish to tell you, as the last person who truly can, exactly what your parents meant to the wizarding world as well as give you some small insight into what it meant to be a Death Eater. I feel that after everything you have been through and having defeated the Dark Lord, which I know you will, you deserve to at least know as much as I can tell you about your parents.
Harry dragged his eyes from the page to stare at Hermione. What it meant to be a Death Eater? Harry was intensely curious and wondered whether it had anything to do with his parents for that possibility seemed unlikely. Deciding he had better find out, he and Hermione turned the page and kept reading.
Six months after we left Hogwarts, I was given an ‘honourary’ ceremony to commemorate my induction into the Dark Lord’s ranks as a Death Eater. Apparently, Albus wanted to know who it was that was being inducted because he had sensed from the Dark Lord himself that his most recent recruit would be a great asset to him. I suppose I should be flattered because not only did the Dark Lord think me a much needed ally, but Albus also felt that, whoever this new person was, he needed to know why the Dark Lord was so animated about it. Once I had turned spy for Albus, I ventured to ask him how he reacted when Lily and James informed him that I was the Dark Lord’s highest hope. He admitted to me that he had a feeling I would be the newest addition to the Death Eater ranks and when I pressed him further for information, it would seem that he wanted Lily and James to be the one’s to witness what I had essentially ‘become’ which was of course, a Death Eater. Albus would elaborate no further when I ventured to ask why he put them through that, so my only conclusion is that he wanted to show them what the loss of Lily’s friendship and James’ attacks ultimately did to me. I shall not pretend that the idea of joining the Dark Lord did not excite me when I was younger, but had Lily continued being my friend, I am certain I would have valued her wishes and left my obsession with the Dark Arts behind, even though I was unable to do so at the age of 15. Apparently, when they were given the task, your parents questioned Albus about his suspicions but he gave them nothing- evidently the element of surprise was necessary to achieve whatever reaction he was hoping your parents would experience upon seeing me being branded with the Dark Mark.
Harry, without even realizing, ran his fingers through his hair upon reading this. He remembered very clearly, the memories he witnessed a few months ago and recalled that Lily did care for Severus, at least until he called her a Mudblood, after which she did ultimately sever all connections with him. Harry could hardly imagine what it would have been to witness such a moment and felt that his mother, no matter how she may have appeared as a student, would find the experience alarming that her childhood friend, right before her eyes, was being marked as a follower of the cruelest, most powerful Dark Wizard the world had ever seen.
When the moment arrived, myself as well as the Dark Lord and most of his followers had met to witness this ‘celebration’. Back in those days it was a tradition to witness such ceremonies so that we knew who our allies were (given that Dark Marks are usually hidden under clothing). Of course, when Draco, if you are wondering, was burned with the Dark Mark, he was not in any way honoured for his service, which I am sure you already deduced given the mistakes Lucius had made during the years prior.
Harry briefly looked at Hermione, glad that his suspicions the previous year were correct- Draco was indeed a Death Eater! Hermione barely had time to give a small smile before the two of them continued to read.
A circle of Death Eaters enclosed me and the Dark Lord. It was late at night on a plain in the middle of god knows where. Needless to say, your parents were disguised using the Polyjuice potion, though of course, I was unaware of this at the time. The night progressed according to plan. I have no idea how your parents reacted when they eventually realised I was the ‘guest of honour’, but after the formalities of the event, it was common courtesy for the other Death Eaters to ‘congratulate’ the new comer on their ‘prestigious’ position as a Death Eater. When I eventually came across the Carrows, I was expecting a dim-witted congratulations and perhaps one minor joke at my suspense, because I was quite young for I was not yet eighteen. However, the comment I received from Amycus was markedly different from what I expected. The Carrows, I later discovered, were actually your parents, and so, it was not surprising that your father could not contain himself in making multiple snide comments which ultimately resulted in a duel.
Harry stared blankly at the page in silence. A duel? What exactly was Dumbledore hoping to achieve? Make his mother feel guilty while his father had yet another shot at making Severus’ life miserable? Yet Harry soon realised that Severus would not tell him about this side of his father unless some good was to come of it, so Harry continued to read, while Hermione, who was already at the end of the page, waited for him to finish.
I should point out that even once the duel had started, I still did not realize who I was truly fighting. As you have probably realised, the Carrows are truly pathetic both as human beings and duelers and were always likely to prey on the weak. It is a shame that it was your parents and not them that I was dueling, because I am certain I would have at least beaten both of them in a duel. Unfortunately, I will have to admit that on this occasion against your father, I cannot claim victory, though I cannot say that he succeeded either. Needless to say, what started as a duel between two Death Eaters, for your mother refused to participate, soon became a spectacle that the other Death Eaters found to be extremely exciting to witness. Before I knew what was happening, my skills as a dueler and a Death Eater, a follower of the Dark Lord, were being tested. It was during this fight that I realised your father knew Legilimency and Occlumency. The revelation, I admit, spooked me a little, for I had only been taught Legimilmency by the Dark Lord and although I understood the concepts of Occlumency, I was not yet proficient. The duel lasted a long time, much longer than Amycus Carrow could have ever have hoped to last against me and if the fight continued any further, I am certain that someone would have realised that this man could not possibly be a Carrow. It was not until your father began to deter me with verbal attacks that things got out of hand. I was becoming extremely frustrated, concerned that I would lose to Amycus, a man I did not respect and one that was generally considered to have little dueling ability. I wanted to finish the duel and show him that I was not to be challenged. Upon threatening some spells of my own, Sectumsempra being the one I had in mind, it would be no surprise to you that your parents knew that what I meant when I said ‘spells of my own’. The events after this moment occurred extremely quickly: your father, undoubtedly due to his pride in not wanting to give in, continued to duel me, but your mother, who seemed to have realised their role as spy was not turning out the way she had planned, was trying to hint at her husband to stop without giving away her position, and the Dark Lord, who had then joined the crowd was becoming suspicious, for he had no idea that Amycus was so skilled a dueler. Suffice to say, we eventually realised the true identity of Amycus and Alecto, yet your parents escaped the situation barely scathed. Although none of us would have admitted it at the time, the way they dueled was the best any of us had seen, aside from Albus of course. The way they worked together was extremely skillful and was unrivalled by any other duo from the Order of the Phoenix. When I told the Dark Lord, in an attempt to convince him that your mother should be spare- that Lily would be an asset to him- I hope that now you can see why he was tempted to agree with me.
Harry smiled. To think that his mother and father managed to escape from Voldemort as well as multiple Death Eaters… if only he could see how they managed it.
It was this occasion that marked the first time your parents defied the Dark Lord.
And as Harry turned the page, eager to read on, he let out a small laugh; he had always wondered under what circumstances his parents managed to evade the dark wizard which would later become so important to identify him, their son, as the ‘Chosen’ One. Harry could hardly believe that on this occasion, not only did they manage to escape Voldemort but his Death Eaters too and Harry couldn’t help but laugh at the way Voldemort must have looked when he realised what had happened- himself and all of his Death Eaters combined were no match for his parents. The irony was both fulfilling and upsetting, that ultimately, in the end, Voldemort prevailed over them. Nevertheless, Harry hoped to find more accounts of his parents’ success against Tom Riddle within Severus’ writing and so continued reading.
The next time I saw your parents was a year or so later. After attending a Death Eater meeting at the Lestranges’, which Bellatrix always insisted on giving, Lucius and I were walking towards a certain field some 100 meters away to disapparate when none other than your parents approached us, armed and undisguised. I had no intention to provoke them, however I did have the distinct feeling that they were not there by chance so assumed, correctly, that they were aware that our meeting had just finished and was asked by Dumbledore to interrogate a Death Eater about one thing or another. Unfortunately, the meeting could not be avoided and while James seemed perfectly keen, Lily seemed less so and acted as if I did not exist. In fact, for most of the conversation that ensued, attention from both of your parents was placed on Lucius. It seemed that your parents were seeking out the Dark Lord’s followers specifically and had no intention of meeting the dark wizard himself. All they wanted to know was whether either myself or Lucius had seen our master in possession of a black diary. At the time, I found this to be an extremely absurd question, as did Lucius. I had never seen such an object, but Lucius, who I later learnt, had in fact received the diary a week prior and so he knew exactly what your parents were referring to. It still shocks me even now that Albus was so in tune with what the Dark Lord did on a daily basis. When I asked him about it during your second year, when of course, we all discovered the true purpose of the diary and the reason why Albus was so concerned by it, he insisted that he was only curious to find out what had become of the diary for it was one the Dark Lord cherished during his days at Hogwarts. No matter what Albus insisted however, I still believe Albus knew more than he let on- there are powers he possesses that I do not believe I could ever fully understand. It is truly uncanny. Naturally, Lucius acted innocent as if he thought it was absurd that the Dark Lord should have a diary, but I remember seeing Lily stare avidly at Lucius, unknown to him for he was looking at your father and of course, I did not venture to stop Lily from using Legilimency against my ‘ally’. I presume that Lily informed Albus what she sensed and undoubtedly, Albus kept a close eye on Lucius ever since and had he known exactly how Miss Weasley obtained that diary in her first year, then perhaps the basilisk would have been stopped months earlier.
Harry could hardly believe it… to think that even then, before Harry was even born, Lucius was given Voldemort’s Horcrux. Harry remembered back to the moment when Dumbledore told him during his sixth year that Voldemort gave Lucius the diary prior to his death for safe keeping. To think that it was actually his parents who helped discover that information was mind boggling to Harry.
Having received all the information they needed, though Lucius was not aware of this, your parents attempted to leave. Even though a year had past since my induction, neither Lucius nor myself had forgotten the way your parents had dueled and were not inclined to provoke them. However, to let them leave, knowing that our fellow Death Eaters and the Dark Lord himself were close by, Lucius felt the need to instigate a duel which your father did not hesitate to accept. Yet again there was no victor. Despite what we had hoped, no one except the four of us were aware that a duel was taking place and by the end I had the distinct feeling both of your parents were essentially ‘playing’ with us. Not only were they very skilled individual duelers, but combined they were unbeatable. If nothing else indicated that James and Lily Potter were ‘soul mates’, the way they dueled did. The fact that Lily’s Patronus became a doe, the female version of James’ animagus form, was not simply determined through marriage, but a connection that I think few others could have hoped to obtain. Their strength lay in trusting their partner’s skill and I had never witnessed such an accomplished duel than the one I saw that night. It was almost as if it were choreographed, which of course, was impossible. Had Lucius and I known Occlumency perhaps we would have had more success, but alas we did not. Your parents, I silently concluded that night, must have had extensive training, for as far as I knew, and Albus later confirmed, they were not Aurors.
At this Harry’s jaw dropped slightly. He was certain his parents must have been Aurors by somehow managing to complete the training in half a year instead of the usual three. But it seemed evident by Severus’ account that they were simply ‘naturals’.
The second time your parents defied the Dark Lord, I regret to say, I did not have the privilege of witnessing. But from what I have heard from Albus, though even he was not entirely certain of the precise details, your parents as well as the Longbottoms, who were by then trained and extremely skilled Aurors and not yet victims to Bellatrix’s Cruciatus curse, were found by the Dark Lord who attempted to kill them, but failed, allowing all four of them to escape unscathed. He never told any of his followers about the occasion, but when I told him of the prophecy, I at least, deduced that the Potters’ and Longbottoms’ had defied him on another occasion that all except he were unaware of.
And so, this brings me to the third and final time your parents defied the Dark Lord.
Excited to hear of the third occasion that his parents escaped Voldemort, Harry braced himself for yet another interesting and momentous occasion in his parents’ lives.
By this time, I had heard the prophecy and had informed the Dark Lord of everything I learnt. Your parents were sent once again to one of our meetings disguised as Yaxley and Runcorn, though naturally, we were unaware of this at the time. I am still at a loss as to why Albus asked the Potters to attend for this meeting, because he admitted to me later that their goal was to find out which family the Dark Lord suspected to be the ones referred to in the prophecy. From what I can deduce, your mother would have been pregnant with you by this time- but in the early stages- she probably was not even aware that she was pregnant. Nevertheless, Albus, who knew that Lily and James could possibly be one of those the Dark Lord would target, decided to send them anyway, probably because they were the most capable and given their previous success at Death Eater meetings, it was no surprise, I suppose, that he chose them.
After some time, your mother, who was disguised as Yaxley, approached the Dark Lord with your father by her side and asked him who he suspected as the potential parents of his vanquisher. The dark lord didn’t hesitate to admit his suspicions given that he had mentioned it plenty of times prior, he assumed that Yaxley wasn’t a very attentive listener. Of course, upon hearing the news both of your parents had difficulty covering up their shock. In retrospect, I find this a little strange because surely Albus would have told them what the prophecy said? But perhaps he kept that a secret too, so as to prevent people from worrying until it was necessary. In fact, now that I think on it, I believe only myself, you and presumably your friends knew that it was Albus who heard the entire prophecy. So clearly, Albus had sent your parents in there, knowing that there was every likelihood that those very people would be at the top of the Dark Lord’s list. If I was not so shocked myself, for I believed your parents to have only defied the Dark Lord twice, I would have paid more attention to how your parents reacted. Unfortunately, your mother who, despite her tough exterior and expertise in being a spy, was unable to contain herself and became slightly emotional which, given the circumstances was to be expected. The Dark Lord was quick to detect that Yaxley would not cry for any reason and were it not for your father’s skill and quick thinking I truly believe that your parents would have both been killed that night.
Harry was angry that Dumbledore had put his parents in such a terrible position that almost cost them their lives; he could hardly believe that the Headmaster could have been so cruel. No matter how skilled his parents were, they were still human and Harry wouldn’t be surprised if the moment his mother returned home, she ventured to discover whether she was pregnant. And when she found out… Harry could only imagine her trepidation. Once Harry had calmed down, he continued:
I watched in horror as Lily almost died before my eyes and it was James not me that saved her. I was sickened, upset that I could not comfort her at a time that was certain to plague her for the rest of her life. Of course, in that moment, no one was certain whether it would be the Potters, the Longbottoms or two other families who would ultimately be targeted. All the Dark Lord could do was determine which couples had defied him three times and then wait to see whether any of them gave birth to a son at the end of July. As you now know, when you were born, the Dark Lord was torn between Mr. Longbottom and yourself, ironically choosing you as the greatest threat even though you are not ‘pure blood’ and therefore, should not, according to his own beliefs, have been so powerful as Mr. Longbottom, a pureblood. But, I believe the reason why he chose you was because he knew how naturally talented your parents were and even though the Longbottoms were undoubtedly skilled, they had been trained and were quite a bit older than your parents. Yet despite these differences, I could not tell you who would win if your parents and Mr. Longbottom’s were to duel.
After this, I never saw your parents again because obviously, once your mother found out she was pregnant, she was no longer coming to our meetings, but was undoubtedly given less strenuous tasks which meant she and I had little chance of seeing one another.
However, I hope you now understand why your parents were so highly respected in the wizarding world, not only by the Order of the Phoenix and Death Eaters, but by everyone. After their first escape, they were soon household names; very few people did not know about the Potters. Their death was a great loss, especially for the Order and all those who opposed the Dark Lord. Not only were they extremely gifted in dueling, but naturally gifted in the art of magic for their Occlumency and Legilimency skills were amazing for people who were barely 20 years of age. Most impressive however, was their instinct, the way they could read one another and cooperate to achieve whatever they set their minds to. Even your godfather, who had received more than enough practice at curses and hexes, did not have the patience and natural timing it takes to truly out-duel one’s opponent. In other words, Black would enter a fight, blazing, determined and ready for anything that was aimed at him, but did not understand what it meant to wait, to plan and cooperate, like your parents did. It is a skill that few possess and one that made your parents stand out from the rest. They were respected and admired as a witch and wizard, but even more so as human beings. Your parents were generally considered to be happy, kind and very generous people. They were loyal, trustworthy and generally perceived to be the best kind of people.
I recall one day when I was in Diagon alley and I overheard someone say to their friend: ‘I told my husband yesterday that I wished we could be more like Lily and James Potter.”
It sickened me.
Harry laughed out loud, he couldn’t help himself and the words that followed articulated exactly how Harry felt.
It sounds ridiculous but I am not kidding you. The only remarks that managed to top that were spoken by a group of teenagers, on that same day, who said snickering and giggling: ‘If I could marry anyone, I would marry James Potter!’
Harry was in hysterics.
And what was worst: “Well if you want him, you’ll have to fight me for him!”
And worse still: “Well that’s good because I’d want him distracted when I steal Lily from him!”
It was too much; Harry had to stop reading and catch his breath. Hermione, who had already reached that part, knew what Harry found so humourous and joined in on the laughter. The whole concept was crazy- to think that his parents were not only amazing duelers and decent people, but individuals that teenage Hogwarts students were joking about marrying! Harry had never expected this and wondered why Sirius and Remus never joked about it.
Anyway, I think you can imagine how the entire Wizarding world reacted when they heard of their death. Although I know that fame would have come to you regardless of who your parents were, I truly believe that half of the admiration you receive stems from the respect and legacy your parents left behind. I assure you that even though it has been sixteen years since their death, they are far from forgotten; there has yet to be another couple to rival their talents, their kindness and general good nature.
Although you do not yet have the apparent natural talent of your parents, I have no doubt that your future holds great things for you. The Dark Lord had every reason to appoint you his biggest threat and I have no doubt that he will regret the day he ever laid hands on you and your family. The fact that you have defied the Dark Lord more times than your parents just shows that even though your grades may not be outstanding, you are clearly skilled at magic and are able to use it well when under pressure. Only that, as well as your courage and determination, could have allowed you to escape the Dark Lord so many times and all before you even became of age! Although I was in denial for most of the years you were at Hogwarts, I began to run out of explanations for your uncanny ability to escape from the Dark Lord’s grasp; while Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger would have provided you ample assistance, there was no denying that your successes have been due to skill- evidently, your parent’s talents are genetic. You are truly Lily and James’ son Harry and I know of no one who would deny it, including the Dark Lord.
Harry experienced a warm feeling inside. He realised that if he had heard this from anyone else, it would not have meant nearly as much as it did hearing it from Professor Snape.
Harry groaned when he realised there was only one page left; he was hoping it would last for much longer, only because he had become so caught up in his parents’ and Severus’ lives and did not want to want to deal with his own.
I hope that this letter has shown you, if nothing else, the contribution your parents made to our world and the reason why Albus, Minerva and many others were so upset when your parents died: we lost not only an amazing witch and wizard but two of the kindest, most genuine people anyone could have imagined. I just want you to know that regardless of what you have heard, especially from me, your parents were good people and your father did grow up, except with regard to me, and grew to love your mother perhaps as much as I did. Evidently they were happy and in the end, I had to accept that they were right for each other and even if I refused to believe it, I was surrounded by Death Eaters and Order members alike, who knew that they were extraordinary… there is no other word to describe it.
But enough of my writing (needless to say my hand is getting sore). I believe that perhaps telling you all of this, although interesting, is not quite enough to stem your enthusiasm?
Harry was feeling optimistic- was Professor Snape saying what he hoped he was saying?
If you go to my lab-
At this, Harry leapt up off the couch and with Hermione hot on his heels, they ran to the basement.
Enter it, turn to your left and look on the top most shelf, there is a vial filled with memories.
Harry didn’t trust himself to attempt to retrieve it with so many other glass containers around it; he was simply too excited, so asked Hermione to get it for him, which she did very skillfully with a summoning charm.
Go to Hogwarts and tip them into the Pensieve… there is no need to tell you anything more because you know what to do.
The only thing I will say is that I am really proud of you and I hope that you can see that although they died much too early for anyone’s liking, except the Dark Lord’s of course, they made a huge impact on the Wizarding world during their life and I have no doubt that you will do just the same, even if you weren’t the Chosen One.
If anyone were to be a threat to the Dark Lord it would be you, Lily and James’ son. I feel honoured to have grown up with your mother and known both of your parents before they died, despite all that they did to me during our schooling, they evidently grew up to be people I was proud to have met. But the greatest honour of all was to have known you, if only for a short while… I would have missed so much if I did not have the opportunity to know you for who you truly are.
Take care, Harry.
Professor Snape.
Harry gently wiped away a tear that was quickly falling down his cheek. But the touching words that Severus wrote were quickly overruled by every inch of Harry’s body which was itching to go to Hogwarts at that very moment. However, before leaving he regretfully looked at the time to find that it was almost midnight and he and Hermione were expected at the Burrow the following morning. But the desire to see memories of his parents and Severus was too powerful and too exciting to appease Harry into tiredness. Hermione looked just as willing to go to Hogwarts as Harry did and even though Harry would not have insisted she come if she wished to rest up, he did value her company.
So it was settled, the two of them were to Apparate to Hogwarts under Harry’s Invisibility Cloak and make an attempt to enter Hogwarts, for they were unsure whether anyone would be there given that school had ended for the year.
Thankfully, Harry and Hermione arrived at Hogwarts without any difficulty and although the oak doors were locked, Hermione did some clever magic to discover that a witch or wizard was in the castle. Hesitating slightly, wondering how likely it was that that individual was from Voldemort’s side, Harry eventually decided to take the risk and send his Patronus to whoever it was inside the castle. Minutes later, Harry and Hermione heard hurried footsteps so raised their wands in preparation for battle. A sigh of relief escaped their mouths when they realised the woman on the other side was Professor McGonagall who had been in the Headmaster’s office doing some last minute paperwork so that Hogwarts was officially pronounced ‘Head’ less. The use of the word made Harry laugh slightly as he thought of what Nearly Headless Nick would think about such a statement being made about a building.
Minerva asked many questions as they walked up multiple flights of stairs in the direction of the Headmaster’s office and Hermione answered most of them for Harry had become too excited to speak, for he knew that very soon he would see his parents once more, if only in Severus’ memories, it was more than he could have ever hoped for.
Once Minerva had let them into the Headmaster’s office, Harry was torn between looking around for the Pensieve and telling Severus why he was there. But the latter option was quite unnecessary for the moment the boy walked in Severus spotted the parchment and the vial in his hand and his searching glance around the office and knew exactly why he was there. Albus, who believed Severus when he said that Harry would be back, had no idea that he would be back so soon. But Severus, who had the feeling Harry might be back that same day, couldn’t quite keep the smile off his face whilst Albus stared at him dumbstruck.
Hermione and Harry eventually found that Pensieve as the rest of the room remained silent. With great excitement and anticipation Harry pulled the cork off the vial and tipped it into the magic bowl.
“We’ll be back soon, Professor,” Harry said to McGonagall.
“No problem, Potter, heaven knows I still have work to do, I will be here another couple of hours at least, I dare say.”
Harry nodded, smiled broadly at Severus, who returned the expression and then dived head first into Severus’ memories, his heart racing.
Even though he knew what would happen, having read Severus’ letter, this was different because this time he will see his parents… indeed, knowing was one thing, but seeing was something else entirely and Harry could hardly wait.
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A/N: I would be really interested to know what you guys think of this chapter, I imagine it would cause a little controversy, but I spent literally hours trying to think of ways that Lily and Severus would see each other before Lily and James’ deaths and the above three scenarios I mentioned seemed the most likely to me.
Many thanks for reading and please, please comment and vote! Thank you!!!!