"It's been less than three months that he's been here. Less than three months! And within this time alone, he almost got killed twice, first by a troll at Halloween, and now today! You promised me that he would be safe here!"
In his office at Hogwarts, sitting behind his desk, Albus Dumbledore was looking down, something Lily seldom saw him do. But since she was the one talking him down, she felt even more angry at him. The greatest wizard in the world, and he didn't even dare to look at her in the eyes.
"You promised that you would keep an eye on Harry. Where were you during the match?"
He didn't answer. Lily could barely suffer the silence. Could he at least give her some kind of an explanation why he wasn't there when her son needed help the most? When his life was in danger?
"You are right, Lily," he finally said. "I should have been there. I failed you. I'm sorry."
This only infuriated her further. "It's not to me that you should be apologizing. It's to Harry. He almost got killed today. If he had fallen from his broomstick, he could have died."
"Lily, please." He had raised his hand. Despite all the fury she had within herself, Lily dared not to speak again. This was Albus Dumbledore, her former professor and the man she took orders from when she served the Order of the Phoenix. "Please let an old man explain himself." He finally dared to look into her eyes, and it was with a gaze that almost make her pity the old man. "I'm afraid I overestimated my powers and underestimated the threats under which Harry would find himself when he would arrive in Hogwarts. It's my fault, and I assume the blame completely. I suppose I thought... that everything would just go well, like you did."
"Like I did? It wasn't only for the form that I asked you to keep an eye on him."
"Yes, I know. But did you ask that because you were afraid that someone else might hurt your son, or because you were afraid that he might get himself into trouble?"
For a moment she didn't know what to answer. "That's not the question."
"No, it's not Lily. But it is related. You didn't expect such events to happen, didn't you?"
Reluctantly and after dodging the answer for moment, she replied. "No. But really, a troll getting inside Hogwarts, that's an accident that can happen. But someone casting a curse on my son's broomstick to make him fall... He could really have died, Professor. Do you have any idea what it was like for me, standing in the crowd and not being able to do anything while my son's life was in danger? I couldn't even counter the curse. My attempts ended making things worse. Do you have any idea what this is?"
"No, I don't," Dumbledore replied after a moment. "I should have been there, it is true. I wanted to be there, in fact. I was excited to see your son fly for the first time, especially after what Minerva told me she had witnessed with her own eyes. I got called on an emergency by the Ministry of Magic at the last minute and I left. I would never have imagined, just like you, that someone would try to kill Harry during a Quidditch match, with hundreds of people there to watch it, even less by cursing his broomstick."
They remained silent for a long time. Lily's fury was subsiding. "Do you have any idea of who could have done this?" she asked him.
"I have no certainty yet."
"But you have suspects. I know you enough to be sure about that, Professor."
"I do, but I will not spread accusations without proofs, Lily."
"You could at least be honest with me and recognize that Voldemort could be behind this."
Dumbledore took his time. "It's not impossible. Whatever happened ten years ago, it destroyed Voldemort. It weakened him heavily. But he's still alive, that I'm sure of."
"Do we have any idea where he might be?"
"No. I questioned many people since his disappearance, investigated several rumors about him and his servants, but I couldn't find a single element showing out of doubt where he could be or what he could be doing. One thing I am sure about, he is not inside the precinct of Hogwarts or anywhere nearby. Someone else cast this curse on Harry's broom and made this troll enter."
"Someone working for him? One of his disciples?"
"Maybe."
"Well, we know of at least one of his disciples who was present."
She looked at Dumbledore straight in the eyes. The headmaster sustained her stare. "Severus has nothing to do with this."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Lily, I have not forgotten what he did while he was loyal to Voldemort, but Severus turned against him in the end."
"Yes, after he was gone."
"No, before. He spied on him, put his life in danger for our cause, Lily. Today, he is no more a Death Eater than I am."
"Maybe not today, since Voldemort is gone, but he was before. And don't tell me he doesn't believe anymore in wizard supremacy. I know he believed in it long before he served Voldemort, and I think even you must know he still believes in it."
"He is no saint. I will not argue the contrary. That doesn't make him the one who cast the spell on Harry. The world is not divided between good people and Death Eaters, Lily."
"Alright. You do not believe Snape did this? As you wish, Professor. Only, I may not be spending my time at Hogwarts, but Harry writes to me all the time. And you know what he says? That Snape hates him. He's always looking for reasons to remove points from Gryffindor and from Harry, and he's also seizing any opportunity to belittle Harry in front of his comrades. He's the only professor at Hogwarts who seems to have a problem with my son."
"Severus has always been favorable to Slytherin, Lily. He's like that, and it's not only about Harry. And he may not like your son, but again, that doesn't make him the person who tried to kill him."
"I get it, but I would suggest you find out who did this, and quickly. And to not assume it wasn't Snape just because you believe in him."
"I assure you, I take this matter very seriously. Only, I cannot let your hatred of Snape blind me to the other possible culprits. We're not even sure the troll and today's accidents are linked. It may be two individuals without any relation who are behind each of the two accidents. We're not even sure if today's events were an attempt on Harry's life. The problem may lie with the broom."
"It didn't. I cast a revelation spell when I saw Harry's broom going crazy. Someone was casting a curse on the broomstick, Professor Dumbledore. I tried to counter it, but it only made things worse."
"Which means whoever cast this curse made sure that common counter spells would not only be ineffective but would also feed the curse."
"Only someone well versed into dark magic could have done it," Lily concluded, resisting the envy to point out that the Potions Master fitted the description.
"Still, we must push aside the possibility of a problem with the broomstick. I'll have Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick examine it. They'll be able to discard any possibility of wrongdoing from the manufacturer, and maybe even find some trace of the curse it received during the game. This may lead us to the man responsible for all this. And we'll ask questions around. Maybe a student or one of the parents noticed something that might help us find from where the curse was sent and by who."
Lily sighed. It was true, they needed to find out exactly who cursed her son's broomstick. And although she was certain of the accuracy of her revelation spell, she hoped the examination would prove once and for all that the Nimbus she bought to her son wasn't dysfunctional. Or else that meant she was responsible for what happened during that game. But she knew it wasn't that. Someone actually tried to kill Harry, or at least to severely hurt him.
"Are you sure that this accident with the troll and the curse on the broomstick are unrelated?" she asked Dumbledore.
"I cannot discard this possibility, but I have to admit that I find it quite unlikely. However, I highly doubt that the troll's mission was to attack your son, Lily."
"Why is that?"
"Because Harry wasn't supposed to be at Hogwarts when he managed to get inside. It was only by chance that your son fell upon it. I think, however, that whoever made this troll get inside the castle, might have been angry at Harry for neutralizing it and may have tried to take his revenge. What worries me the most is that he could he try again, or target Miss Granger who was there as well, and who actually cast the spell which knocked out the troll."
"I know. Harry told me in details what happened."
"Well, in any case, I'll treat your son's safety more seriously from now on. On that, you have my word. I'm sincere Lily."
She looked into his eyes. Dumbledore always maintained a calm facial expression. His eyes said much about his state of mind and how he felt. She knew he was being sincere.
"Very well. I trust you, Dumbledore, but if something else must happen to my son, I can't guarantee that I will not remove him from Hogwarts. Maybe he will hate me for that. I know he already loves this place. But his safety, his life... They're more important than magic."
"I understand."
"And one more thing. I want Snape to stop making his life miserable here."
Dumbledore seemed exasperated. "Lily..."
"No. I was serious the last time. I talked with other parents, and they confirmed what Harry wrote in his letters to me. Snape is harassing him, denigrating him in front of all his comrades, always looking for opportunities to make Harry's life a hell. I'm done with it. I made myself clear when I came to you in August. I don't care if Snape favours Slytherin. If you let him do it, this is your problem. But my son... It's over. I want him to be a teacher who treats Harry the same way he would treat any other student. Those are my terms. Either you force him to do it, or I take care of that myself. And unless you identify who tried to hurt my son today, I'll consider him a prime suspect. So get him to leave my son alone."
She detached the words of her last sentence to make sure he truly understood what she meant. After a moment, Dumbledore answered. "I'll talk to Severus."
"I don't care. Just make him do it. Now, if you'll excuse me, Professor Dumbledore, I wish to spend some time with my son before I go back home."
Lily left on that. She tried to control her anger as she left Dumbledore's office and went down the spiral staircase. When she arrived at the main floor, Minerva McGonagall was waiting for her.
"Professor."
"Lily." The professor of Transfiguration seemed uncomfortable. "I just wanted to tell you... that I'll do everything I can to find out who did this to Harry today."
Lily nodded. "Thank you for telling me what was happening between Snape and my son the day you visited me. I know it's not easy for you to talk against one of your colleagues."
Professor McGonagall made a spout, obviously not wanting to revisit what she told Lily on that day. They proceeded to walk towards the park through the corridors.
"I've been wishing to protect your son since he arrived, Lily. But there are limits to what I can do against Severus. I cannot stop him from removing points to Gryffindor every time he finds a reason to do so because of Harry's actions, as stupid as those reasons to remove points are."
"I don't care about points. He does the same to all students who do not belong to Slytherin anyway. What I care about is the way he's humiliating and harassing my son."
"I cannot be with him in the Potions classroom. I cannot follow Severus when he wanders the corridors of the school. And I certainly can't stand next to your boy at all times of day, nor can the other teachers. There are limits to what we can do in order to help him. And we cannot remove Snape from his position only because of his behaviour with one student."
"Then too bad that he's only harassing one student. Maybe if he did the same to a couple more, you would take action," Lily retorted acidly.
"Lily, Severus is not violent with Harry. He doesn't mistreat him, and although he is quite hard on your son, this can easily be interpreted as a teacher only trying to push his one particular student to get better and being strict with the enforcement of rules. Severus, no matter his flaws, is excellent as a Potions professor. Even you cannot deny his abilities and skills. He is hard with his students, but so are many other professors here."
"I know what it is to be hard and strict, Professor McGonagall. You were with all of us. But you were strict and hard because you were encouraging us to become better. And you never favored anyone. No matter which house we belonged to, our origins, our year of scholarity, our notes or whether we were boys or girls, you were as hard and strict with everybody. You help all your students to become better, and not only in the classroom, in every day's life as well."
She looked at her former professor. McGonagall was never prone to sentiment, but Lily could see she had touched something there.
"Snape is not," Lily resumed. "As good as he may with potions, he's not using his talents to make his students better. He's pushing them hard because he believes they will never be better than he is, and he wants them to believe it so they never hope to be as good as he is. He discourages them, makes them feel like nothing. He's been like that since he was a student here, and he's still like that today."
They had reached the doors that gave on the park. "Severus Snape is an expert at potion making. We couldn't find someone better when it comes to preparing or teaching potions," McGonagall told her. She would defend her colleagues and her school, no matter what.
"Maybe. Horace Slughorn may not have been as good when it came to knowledge and skills, but he was a far better teacher for his students."
The Transfiguration professor didn't react to this. "Spend some time with your son, Lily. I wish you a good day."
McGonagall left on this. Lily looked at her walking away for a time, but she soon opened the doors and walked outside. The day was cold. She had to put a heavier cloak when she left this morning. As a result, there weren't many students in the courtyard. She nonetheless walked towards the terrain of Quidditch. Harry would certainly be somewhere along that path.
She suddenly regretted to have left the stadium right after the game. he realized this was not the best decision. She went directly to McGonagall, asked her where Dumbledore was and, when her former teacher told her he was in his office, she headed straight towards Hogwarts and lectured the headmaster. She never did that before. It was always Dumbledore who reprimanded people for their mistakes, but this time Lily was fed up. After her son could have been killed and the headmaster was not even there during the match, she demanded some explanations.
She should have waited and stayed behind to make sure Harry was okay. What would he think of her now? Did he see her walk away towards the castle, with no look behind for him, when he just nearly fell from his broomstick and won his first Quidditch game? She was ashamed. She would need to apologize to her son, which would be very difficult to do since she should never have positioned herself in a spot where she owed excuses to Harry.
She finally spotted him under an archway. His back was turned on her, but she would recognize her son from any angle and from any distance. A girl was standing next to him, her back also turned on Lily. She had heavy brown hair and was about the same height as her son. They were discussing with Hagrid, who faced them and Lily herself, but didn't seem to notice her as he was talking to Harry and the girl. His heavy voice was easily heard from afar.
"Now, listen to me, you both. You're meddling in things that don't concern you. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, and you forget what it's guarding, that's between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."
"Nicholas Flamel?" both Harry and the girl said at the same time.
Hagrid looked horribly guilty at once. "I shouldn't have said..."
And then he blanched. He had finally seen Lily. He was stammering, unable to find his words.
"Hagrid, who is Nicholas Flamel?" her son asked. But Rubeus Hagrid was still trying to find his words.
"Er... I... I... Lily..."
All of a sudden, Harry turned when Hagrid said her name. From the puzzled expression he wore an instant ago, Harry's face turned smiling instantly when he saw.
"Mom, you've seen me at the match?"
"Of course, I have." She hugged him strongly. "So, how is my little champion of Quidditch? Are you fine?"
"Yes. My broomstick got a little out of control..." That was an euphemism. "... but I'm fine. I caught the Golden Snitch."
"Yes, I saw you." Lily returned her attention to Hagrid, who didn't seem like he had recovered the usage of words yet. "Hagrid, it's always good to see you."
Somehow, the half-giant recovered some of his capacities. "Yes, very good to see you... Sorry, got to go... A lot of work to do."
And he left without another word, which Lily wasn't sure he would have been able to pronounce. She chased him from her mind and looked at the girl Harry was with. She had light skin and bright brown eyes. Her bushy brown hair was falling over her shoulders both in front and behind her back.
"You didn't introduce me to your friend, Harry?" she told her son.
"Oh, yes. I'm sorry. Mom, this is Hermione. You remember, I wrote to you about her."
"Oh, yes. Of course. The most brilliant student of Hogwarts."
The girl reddened at the compliment. "Well... I mean... I'm trying... to be as good as I can, but..." Hermione was stammering as well.
"Well, that's what my son wrote to me, and I've never known Harry to be a liar."
She reddened even more. "Harry, you really... you didn't..."
"Well, I told her the truth."
Her son had somewhat reddened as well. Lily found the situation a little amusing. She didn't remember seeing her son behaving like that in presence of a girl. Every time Lily implied or questioned Harry on whether there could be something between him and a girl, he just lashed and told her it was ridiculous. Lily never thought there was more, anyway. She did it to tease him, most of the time. Today, it was different.
"Hermione," she began to ask the girl, "would it bother you if I stole my son for a few minutes?"
"No, of course. It was nice meet you, Mrs Potter. Have a good day."
Mrs Potter. She was so used to being called Mrs Evans, the name she used in her everyday life, that it felt like an eternity since someone addressed her this way. She watched Hermione Granger walk away, then looked at her son.
"How are you, Harry? Really? Are you injured?"
"No, I'm fine, Mom. I guess I had more fear than hurt."
She sighed. "I went to see Professor Dumbledore right after the game. I wanted to know how this could have happened. I'm sorry, my dear. I should have gone to see you the moment the game was over."
"No, that's fine, Mom. I'm not hurt, I swear."
"I know, but I was really afraid for you, when your broomstick started to behave erratically. I even wondered if the broom was defective, and I felt it was my fault for buying it for you."
"No, Mom. It's not your fault. It's not the Nimbus. Someone cast a curse on it. It's not your fault."
He was kind, trying to reassure her, but now that her episode of fury with Dumbledore was over and she was with her boy, she was beginning to wonder if there had been any problem with her son's broom that might have caused this.
"The professors are looking for what happened today. Dumbledore himself promised me they would find out who did this. But I must warn you, they're going to examine your Nimbus to make sure nothing is wrong with it. They don't think it was a problem during the manufacturing process, but they want to discard that possibility."
"My broomstick has no problem."
"I know. They just want to confirm it."
"But Mom, I know who cast the spell."
She looked at her son. He wasn't joking. Her heart was pounding in her chest. "You know?"
"Yes. Hermione saw someone in the crowd throwing the curse. She went to him and started a fire on his cloak. I regained control over my broomstick not long after that."
Really? A girl of eleven had succeeded where she failed? Lily would definitely have to thank her. But it wasn't the most important. She stared right into her son's eyes.
"Harry, who did this?" Her heart was pumping blood at a speed it didn't for quite a long time. Her son's eyes were more serious than they had ever been.
"It was Snape