CHAPTER - 24

"Hush now, Harry. There are classes going on near us."

"Why are we at Hogwarts mommy?" Harry asked. The school was so familiar to him, yet so strange. He had vaguely remembered his visit to Dumbledore's office, but this castle was huge. Massive towers and innumerable classrooms all hidden away from prying eyes by a stone wall. He could hear nearby students chatting the halls, or practicing spells in their own classrooms. They seemed not very happy, no. But free. Free of care and worry, while Voldemort ran amuck to wreak havoc upon the wizarding world.

It had been a few months now, and the ministry still hadn't released an official statement regarding death eaters. It was as if the breakout had never happened, and Voldemort was still dead. But through the clamor of shuffling feet and muttered curses he could hear whispers, passed to any ear that would care to hear.

"They say Vol, I mean, you know who, he's back. The head Auror says that it might be a horcrux, but the ministry refuses to listen." Harry heard one whisper.

"No, he can't be. The headmaster said that he was dead. Killed by the boy who lived, Harry Potter. Look, that's him! It's Harry Potter!" The whisper became a shout.

Well, aren't you famous? He heard Magnus laugh.

Harry knew he probably should have not stopped walking, but he did so anyway. The entire hall became silent as all eyes swung to them. A few students dropped their books, he saw one girl drop a plate she was carrying. It fell to the floor with a clang, shattering into a thousand pieces on the ground in front of him. "Reparo." Lily said, pointing her wand.

The plate repaired itself, though the meal did not. She stared at Harry's mother, and her face turned white as if she had seen a ghost. "Do you know where Severus Snape is?" Lily asked, handing it back. "Scourify." The meal that laid splattered on the floor vanished.

"Pro...professor Snape is… in the… in the… potions classroom." She stuttered, almost falling over.

"Thank you." Lily said, pulling Harry behind her as she walked, ignoring the stares from the many students that had gathered.

Why are you standing there? Should you bow, maybe, shake a few hands? Magnus suggested.

Harry wasn't quite sure if that was a joke.

Harry scanned the looks of the students around him. He saw awe, admiration, fear, and all three. "Mommy?"

Lily smiled. "It's the students, isn't it? Don't think about them too much." She said, pulling harder.

Harry was half dragged past the onlookers, and they arrived at the dungeons. For a school that calls itself the best in the wizarding world, they sure faced budget issues. Instead of having an actual lab for potions, they received what should have been a jail cell instead.

I won't be surprised if the old man is siphoning funds to pay for that order of his, given the state of the school. Magnus said.

The dungeons were cold, so cold that Harry found his robes too thin. Inside, he could hear screaming that chilled his blood. Over the screams he could hear a young boy's sobbing, and Harry bit his lip. They couldn't have arrived at the wrong place, could they? As they drew closer, Harry began tightening his fingers around his mother's hand.

"A joke, you say? Perhaps I should hang you above a tree by the underwear too? Or do you lack a sense of humor too?" He heard a voice growl.

"Please, Professor, I won't again, never." Harry heard, and Lily covered a smile as she rapped on the door.

"Severus?" She asked.

Harry heard a pause. "Today is your lucky day, brat. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind. Thirty points from Gryffindor." He saw the boy burst out the door, his eyes red and awash with tears. He looked like a spirit that escaped from hell, disbelieving at his own freedom. Lily walked inside with Harry, shutting the door behind her.

"It's been a long time, Severus." Lily said.