The Diary

~ by Healer Pomfrey ~

All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.

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Six-year-old Harry Potter woke up with a jolt when his aunt suddenly began to shout in front of his cupboard.

"Get up and make breakfast, you lazybones! Now!"

He hurriedly scrambled out of his bed and walked into the kitchen, where everyone was already waiting for him to make tea and toast. This morning, Harry was lucky. For some reason, his aunt was in a good mood and allowed him a small piece of toast with some jam, and Harry happily tucked in.

"Dudley and I will accompany Vernon to London today," Petunia spoke up when she finished her tea. "Wash up here, and then begin to clean the attic. It's full of dust."

"Yes Aunt Petunia," Harry replied obediently, knowing from experience that he didn't have a choice. He sighed in relief when his relatives left and quickly finished the kitchen, before he climbed up to the attic. He had always admired the tiny but very bright room, and he even sometimes dreamed of being allowed to sleep in the attic instead of his cupboard. Harry diligently set to work, enjoying the blazing sunshine that came through the large window.

After two hours of hard work, he noticed that he was getting breathing problems from the dust and decided to sit down and rest for a few minutes. Even if Harry didn't know that the neglect by his relatives was the reason for his problems, he was fully aware of the fact that he was getting sick every now and then, and most times his problems began with breathing problems. 'I just hope I won't get sick again so soon,' he thought, when all of a sudden a small wooden box caught his attention.

"Read me," the box seemed to whisper.

Harry groaned in annoyance and slowly put a small hand on his forehead, shrugging. He knew that he had a strange ability; however, it only worked if he had a fever. When he was sick, books began to speak with him. They began to whisper to him, telling them secrets, of which normal people never became aware.

Knowing that he loved to read and didn't possess one single book, his school teacher had once lent him the story of Heidi, when she sent him home with a high fever and the school nurse's instruction to remain in bed for a few days. Harry had spent a whole week in bed with the flu and gratefully read the book, from which Heidi, her grandfather and even Klara emerged and spoke with him. Only when he shut the book, everyone had vanished again until the next time.

Harry had not told the teacher about the people coming out of the book, nor had he spoken to anyone else about the matter, knowing that it just had to be part of his freakishness as Uncle Vernon called it. However, he thanked the teacher profusely, and from that time onwards he secretly borrowed books from her and noticed that he could only call persons out of books when he was sick and running a fever.

Knowing that he still had several hours, before his relatives would come home, Harry slowly pulled the box close, not surprised to find a book inside, together with what seemed to be a photo album and a strange stick.

"I wrote all of this just for you to read," the book whispered, causing Harry to look at it in shock.

He hesitantly opened the book and noticed that it contained of many dates with shorter or sometimes larger entries. 'That must be a diary,' he realised. He had heard of people writing diaries. Two girls in his class did, writing every day how they had spent their afternoon. He began to read the first entry, wondering who had written the diary and why it was there in the Dursleys' attic. 'Ah, probably Aunt Petunia,' he thought.

'January 30th, 1971
Today was the happiest day of my life. Just like Severus had predicted, I received my Hogwarts letter like he did on his eleventh birthday three weeks ago! And Severus brewed strawberry fruit drops for me for my birthday. They were delicious. We spent the whole afternoon on the playground making plans for Hogwarts. I'm so glad that we can go there together. Petunia was thoroughly annoyed by the whole matter, but I don't care. I am a witch! And the happiest witch of the world.'

With that the first entry ended, and Harry glanced up in confusion when suddenly a figure escaped from the diary and began to dance in front of him.

"Hello," he shyly addressed the girl.

"Hi," she replied smiling. "Who are you?"

"I'm Harry," he whispered. "And you? Are you my Mum?"

"Your mum?" the girl laughed, but apparently noticing his hurt expression she sat on the floor next to him. "How can I be your mother? I'm only eleven."

"Yes I know, but I read you out of your diary. It's many years ago that you were eleven. I was born in 1980 and I'm six."

"Oh." The girl gave him a thoughtful look. "Then you must be a wizard. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to read people out of books. I've never heard of such a thing. I must ask Severus about it."

"I can only do that if I'm sick," Harry admitted slowly. "Am I really a wizard? Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon always call me a freak.

"Aunt Petunia? Then you really must be my son. Wow; that's so cool," Lily said in excitement. "You don't look good though," she added and quickly placed her hand on his forehead. "I think you have a fever. Did you tell Aunt Petunia that you're not feeling well?"

"No, she doesn't care anyway, because I'm a freak," Harry replied in a barely audible voice, causing Lily to jump up angrily.

"She is awful. I am a witch, but she is a bitch. Harry, we'll think about something. Keep my diary close, so that you can always talk to me. Read ahead a bit. Maybe when I'm older, I'll be better able to advise you." She frowned, before she asked in disbelief, "You live with Petunia? Why?"

"Because you and Dad died in a traffic accident," Harry replied unsurely. "Maybe I can read ahead and warn you in time to prevent it. I don't know, but I have to finish cleaning here now. I'll take the diary to the cupboard with me."

"Wait. Stay put and let me do it for you. You're in no condition to clean. Give these to me." She reached out for the cleaning items gathered around Harry and began to clean the room, while Harry leaned against the wall, wondering if he was delirious or if this was really happening.

"Harry," Lily suddenly called out to him. "I'm finished here. Now let me put you to bed. Take the diary with you."

Harry hesitantly led the older girl to his cupboard and let himself sink onto his mattress, unaware of the disbelieving look that appeared on Lily's face. Lily gently tucked him in and once more felt his forehead.

"Harry, do you know where Petunia keeps a thermometer and medicine?" she queried softly.

Harry shook his head. "No. She never checks, and I don't get medicine anyway."

Lily let out an angry snort. "Very well then. Harry, close the book and then open it again and read tomorrow's entry. In the meantime, I'll tell my mother the whole story and ask her for everything we need. I love you, Harry." She brushed a kiss onto his forehead, before she vanished into thin air as Harry obediently cleaned the book.

Noticing in confusion that Lily had brought the photo album and the stick that had been in the box as well, Harry hid both items under his mattress, before he opened the book again and tried to read the next entry. However, he realised, terrified, that the letters were jumping up and down in front of his eyes. Sighing in exasperation, he laid the book under his pillow and decided to sleep for a while, trying hard to push the tears back that forced themselves into his eyes at the disappointment.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Harry didn't know how long he had slept. He felt even worse than before, but when he opened the diary, he noticed gratefully that he was able to read the second entry.

'February 1st, 1971
Last night, something very strange happened. It's like a dream, but I won't write about it here. I'll bury it deep in my heart.'

Harry didn't have to read further. With utmost relief he noticed that Lily emerged from the book. She sat on the edge of his mattress, eyeing him in concern.

"Good morning, Harry. You're feeling miserable, aren't you? Let me quickly check your temperature." She took a thermometer out of her skirt pocket and shook it a few times, before she coaxed it under Harry's tongue, noticing that he shivered violently at the cold touch. "It'll be over soon," she said soothingly. "I told Mum, and she wasn't sure if she should believe me or not, but she gave me the thermometer and some medicine for your fever." She interrupted herself to glance at her wrist watch, before she plucked the cold, glassy stick from Harry's lips. "Thirty-nine point eight. That's really high. It's probably the flu or something. We'll see if your fever comes down with the medicine. Otherwise, we'll have to think of something."

During the following days, eleven-year old Lily nursed Harry back to health. One day, she told him, "Harry, you're fever is coming down nicely, and you're looking much better. As glad as I am to see that you're getting better, you told me that you're only able to read me out of the diary when you're sick, didn't you?"

"Yes," Harry said softly, "but it's all right, Lily. I'm getting sick every other week. So I'm sure that we'll see each other again soon. Thank you so much for staying with me and helping me."

"You're welcome, sweetie. I love you," Lily said softly and carefully kissed his still warm forehead.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

During the following months, Harry managed to read Lily out of her diary every second week, and Lily always nursed him back to health, which became easier after she moved to Hogwarts, where her best friend, Severus Snape, willingly provided her with potions for her mysterious son. He was the only one, apart from her mother, whom Lily trusted enough to share her secret, and he was the only one who fully believed her story.

It was during the summer holidays a year later, when Harry was deeply engrossed in the diary, reading it for the umpteenth time and wondering if he was getting a fever again soon. Not that he liked being sick, and he hated that his throat was so sore today that he could hardly swallow, but he was always glad to see his mother again. 'She is more like a big sister,' he thought happily, 'but she's so nice, and she helps me and cuddles me, and she always says that I'm not a freak.'

All of a sudden, the door to his cupboard was opened and Petunia stuck her head inside, only to ask in disbelief, "What do you have there?"

"It's my Mum's diary, which I found when I was cleaning the attic last year," Harry replied in a soft voice.

"Your mother was a freak just like you," Petunia screeched, holding out her hand for the diary.

Harry closed the diary and firmly shook his head. "It's mine."

"That horrible Snape boy brought it after Lily died," Petunia remembered, speaking more to herself than to Harry.

"Severus?" Harry asked in excitement. "He came here after Mum died and brought it for me? So he really knows about me, and he's still alive. Maybe I can meet him one day."

"He is as much a freak as you and your mother, and he was horrible," Petunia shrieked,

tearing the diary out of his hands.

Horrified, Harry followed her into the living room, where Petunia threw the diary into the fireplace. He stared at the fire in shock, and with a bout of accidental magic, the diary returned into his hand, before it had even made contact with the flames, causing Petunia to jump aside and stumble onto the floor. Harry sighed in relief and hurriedly opened the diary on the day following the one, on which he had called Lily the last time. 'I don't feel so good, but I don't think I have a fever; maybe I won't be able to call Lily, but I can try,' he thought and quickly read the next entry.

'March 25th, 1973
Potter and Black are too stupid. They played a prank on McGonagall by turning the floor between her office and the classroom into a Portkey to the dungeons, so that she was twenty minutes late for class, and now they're in detention for the rest of the school year.'

'No, it doesn't work,' Harry thought, unconsciously rubbing his achy forehead. However, noticing that he was feeling worse by the minute and slightly began to shiver, he continued reading the entry.

'Brewing with Severus tonight was nice. He can explain so well, and there is nothing he doesn't know about potions.'

Harry couldn't believe his eyes when all of a sudden not only Lily but also a boy appeared out of the book. 'He must be Severus,' he thought in confusion.

The two thirteen-year-olds looked around in surprise. "Oh, Petunia," Lily greeted her sister, who finally stood up from the floor, where she had remained in shock at Harry's outburst of magic for a few minutes. "My you look old."

Only now, Petunia noticed the two unexpected guests and promptly fainted, causing Lily to chuckle.

"Hello. You must be Harry. I am Severus," Lily's friend introduced himself, glancing at Lily. "Why does he look like Potter?"

"He does?" Lily asked in confusion. "I have no idea, but that can only be by chance. Don't remind me of that jerk."

"I like your hair. It looks so silky and soft," Harry said shyly, admiring Severus' straight hair.

"I hate it. I have to wash it every day, especially when I'm brewing," Severus replied, raising an eyebrow at the younger boy. "Lily, do you want me to enervate your sister?"

"Yes please," Lily replied, eyeing Harry in concern. "Are you sick again, Harry?"

"Only a cold, and it's not bad," he replied quickly.

"What are you doing here?" Petunia hissed, glaring at Lily and Severus. "Get out of my house."

"Not before the two of us exchange a few words," Lily said firmly. "Why does my son, your nephew, have to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs?"

"Because we don't have a spare room," Petunia replied heatedly. "You get yourself killed and want me to look after the good for nothing freak of your son, and then you complain?"

"I can't believe that I asked you to look after him. You're about the last person in the world I'd like to raise my son," Lily said coldly. "What about the attic?"

"It is full with several things that I have to sort out," Petunia mumbled, knowing that she didn't have a valid reason for not giving Harry the attic.

"Harry found my diary there and I cleaned for him because he was too sick to do that. The things in there would fit well into the small cupboard. Shall I move everything?"

"I'll help," Severus offered, receiving huge smiles from Lily and Harry.

"Well, do as you please, but by the time my husband returns home, you better be gone," Petunia hissed and left the room, shutting herself into her bedroom.

Lily and Severus quickly moved Harry's mattress and his few belongings, mostly items that Lily had brought to him during the last year, which they were able to carry in one go, to the attic. Noticing that Harry had problems breathing only from climbing the stairs, they insisted that he should lie down and rest, while they took everything that had been in the attic to the cupboard under the stairs.

"Lily, I think Harry needs a desk and some more furniture," Severus said quietly.

"But remember we're not allowed to use magic out of school," Lily replied in confusion.

"Harry has the wand from the time when you were an adult, doesn't he?" Severus asked, quirking an eyebrow. "If you use that, the Ministry won't notice."

Harry observed in amazement how the older girl made a desk, a chair, a wardrobe and even a small bookshelf for him. "Thank you so much," he said, noticing that his voice was threatening to fail.

"Now let's check on you," Lily said, eyeing him in concern.

While Lily retrieved the thermometer from the small bag with Harry's belongings and magically cleaned it, Severus sat on the floor next to Harry and asked quietly, "Is there anything you need or would like to have?"

"A book," Harry replied in surprise, nearly gagging when Lily chose that moment to coax the thermometer into his mouth.

The two older children remained with him for the whole day. Only when they heard Vernon Dursley return home, Lily and Severus quickly asked Harry to shut the diary and call them again the next day.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

During the following year, Lily and Severus often took care of Harry together. Harry, who had finished reading the diary several times, knew that they were going to separate during their fifth Hogwarts year, although he couldn't fully understand the reason. He didn't speak about the matter to Lily or Severus, but he often tried to choose the entries, in which Severus was mentioned in a way, so that the two would come to see him together. 'Maybe they will continue to be friends. Perhaps we can change what happened in the diary,' he thought in desperation.

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Since Harry had first read Lily out of the diary, his life had improved greatly. Although the Dursleys still despised him and didn't treat him better, he enjoyed living in the attic very much. Vernon had been very angry about the matter, but when Petunia convinced him that he was farther out of the way than in his old cupboard, he had finally relented. Harry continued to fall sick every so often; however, while before he had grieved because he couldn't go to school and meet people who didn't call him 'freak', he now enjoyed being able to speak with his mother and often enough also with Severus.

One day, when Harry had read a fifteen-year-old Lily out of the diary, he spoke with Lily about Severus and the question if it was possible to change what had happened in her diary.

"Harry, I don't know," Lily said thoughtfully. "Severus is my best friend and I can't imagine that this is going to change, but there are always two persons responsible for a friendship. I don't know if I'll be able to prevent things from happening like I'm writing them in my diary. Did I give a reason why we split up?"

"No," Harry replied sadly.

"I'd love to be around for you, together with Severus. I'll try what I can do," she promised, gently pulling him into a light hug, noticing with relief that Harry seemed to slowly get used to physical touch without flinching back.

Harry could hardly sleep that night. He was so excited, and the thought about his mother and Severus kept pushing itself to the front of his mind. 'I'll read Lily out from the last entry of her fifth year, and then I'll know,' he finally decided, pulling the diary out from under his pillow.

"Harry, it's in the middle of the night," Lily said in surprise, glancing at the alarm clock on Harry's night table, which Severus had made for Harry. It was a green dragon like his stuffed animal, and it roared, when it was time to get up. It also held a calendar, so that Lily could always see what date it was in Harry's time. The alarm clock showed three o'clock in the morning on the twenty-fifth of July, just six days before Harry's ninth birthday. "What's wrong, Harry?" she asked softly as she sat on the edge of his bed and gently placed her cool hand on his forehead.

"I was thinking about you and Severus," Harry whispered and hesitantly looked at his young mother, gratefully leaning into her cool touch that felt wonderful to his fevered brow.

Lily let out a desperate sigh. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I really tried to do things differently from how they are in my diary, but it didn't work out," she said sadly, carefully pulling Harry close.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

During the following week, Harry's condition worsened steadily in spite of the flu potions that Lily brought from Hogwarts. It was on Harry's ninth birthday that Lily realised that she couldn't get Harry's fever down and became very concerned about the boy, who remained apathetically in his bed, unable to eat or drink anything. 'If this goes on, he won't even be able to read me out of the diary anymore,' she thought worriedly. "Harry, can you do me a favour?" she pleaded. "Please read me out of the diary from the time when I'm an adult. As the diary says, I'm going to do a Healer's training at St. Mungo's, and I'll be much better able to help you then. Please Harry, open your eyes and do that for me."

Harry was barely able to open his eyes, but he obeyed, and his strong magic helped him to summon Lily from the evening before Halloween a few years later. It was the last entry in the diary. He sighed in relief and closed his eyes when he saw Lily appear out of the book, feeling a tingling sensation as she waved her wand over him.

"Harry?" Lily gently shook his shoulder. "Harry, listen please. You have caught pneumonia, and there is nothing that I can do to help you, because I can't conjure potions. Can you read me out of the book while I'm at Hogwarts and tell me what I just told you, so that I can bring you a potion?" 'Maybe I should just take him to St. Mungo's, but everyone knows that he is only a year old,' she mused, looking at Harry in expectation.

However, Harry remained irresponsive, and Lily feverishly thought about a solution. 'I need Severus,' she realised, 'and he must be alive, because he is the one, who brought the diary to Harry.' She once more spoke to her son. "Harry, can you hear me? Please, you must not close the diary. I'm going to get help. I'll be back shortly."

Unfortunately, Harry didn't show any reaction, and his ragged, irregular breathing left Lily to wonder if he was asleep or awake. 'How can I prevent the book from accidentally being closed?' she mused, finally recalling that Charms had been her best subject at school. She waved her wand at the diary and charmed the last page to remain open, summoning as much magic as she could through the love for her child, before she added a water and fire proof charm to the book. 'Now not even Petunia will be able to do anything to it,' she thought in relief and placed it back on the night table, before she apparated to the apparition border of Hogwarts.

Lily ran all the way up to the castle and up the stairs to the Gryffindor tower, where she knocked hard at the door of Professor McGonagall's private quarters.

"What do you think you're doing?" the portrait of Godric Gryffindor asked sleepily. "Who do you think you are to come here and disturb the Head of Gryffindor House at this time of the night?"

Lily chose to ignore him, sighing in relief when her mentor and good friend opened the door. Unfortunately, the professor's eyes widened in disbelief, before she collapsed in shock. 'Thank God I've already had two years of Healer's training,' Lily mused as she cast the Enervate spell on the older witch and gently helped her to a comfortable looking sofa. "Minerva, please listen to me," she said urgently. "It's me, Lily. My son can read people out of books, and he read me out of my diary from the last entry. He needs help. He has caught pneumonia, and I don't have access to any potions." 'As ridiculous as this sounds considering that I'm a trainee at St. Mungo's,' she thought to herself. "Do you know by chance, where I can find Severus?"

Professor McGonagall looked at her former favourite student in disbelief. "Harry can read people out of books?"

"Yes, even if only when he is sick. Minerva, please ask me something that only I can know," Lily urged her former Head of House.

"Who was Head boy when you were Head girl?" McGonagall queried.

"James," Lily replied immediately.

"What is his Animagus form?"

"A stag."

"Very well, do you want me to call Poppy or Severus? Severus is our Potions Master," McGonagall informed Lily in a soft voice.

"Severus is at Hogwarts?" Lily asked in excitement. "Can you please call him?"

"Of course." The professor nodded and leaned into the fireplace.

A few minutes later, Severus Snape stepped out of the fireplace. "Minerva," he quietly greeted his older colleague. "What happened that is important enough to summon me at this time of the night? It is four o'clock in the morning in case you are not aware of the fact that it is in the middle of the summer holidays."

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Severus, but I have a visitor who urgently wanted to see you," McGonagall said softly, pointing to Lily, who had remained at the other side of the room.

Severus slowly turned around and let out a small gasp. "Lily," he said, and surprise flashed in his face, before he managed to force it back to a blank mask. Even if he was aware of the fact that Harry could read his former best friend out of the diary, it was a shock to see her after she died, especially at that time and in his colleague's quarters. "What's wrong?" he queried in a slightly cold voice that was void of any emotion, before he raised an eyebrow at the woman in front of him, who was still able to make his heart beat faster.

"Severus, Harry caught pneumonia, and I need the pneumonia potion for him. He is in a bad shape. You know how Petunia cares for him," Lily said urgently.

"Your son is a Potter. Why would I help a Potter?" Severus sneered as he swept around the table and turned back to the fireplace. "I suggest that you go to the hospital wing. Poppy holds all kind of potions in her stock. I'm sure that she will be delighted to help your son."

Lily couldn't hold the tears back at her former best friend's cold voice. She quickly reached out and gripped his arm. "Wait Severus. Please, let me explain everything." 'No, I don't have time. I'll just go to see Poppy,' she thought in desperation, before she burst out into tears.

Severus gave her an indifferent look, quirking an eyebrow. "I don't think there is anything to explain," he said coldly.

Lily held Severus' arm in a strong grip. "Severus, I know that it was you who brought the diary to Harry, and Harry absolutely adores you. Please, come with me and help him, and if you can do anything to get him away from my horrible sister, I'll be always grateful."

Completely unaware of the fact that Professor McGonagall quietly left the room to give them some space, Lily leaned against the tall man's arm. "Severus, I'm sorry for everything. I still love you. I wanted to remain together with you. I don't love James, but something happened, so that I had to marry him."

"And what was that?" Severus queried in a voice that showed Lily that he wasn't convinced at all.

Lily sighed. "Well, it's a long story. To make it short, during the Christmas holidays in our fifth year, I was attacked by Death Eaters and was badly injured. By chance, James came to see me and called his father to help me, and his father made some agreement with my father, who promised that I was going to marry James after finishing Hogwarts. I'm so sorry, Sev. I couldn't disappoint my father. James' father somehow convinced him, because James hadn't been talking about anything but me since his first year or such. I don't know if that was a usual way in the magical world, but anyway, otherwise, I'd never have married James. Please believe me that I never loved him. I always loved you, and I still do. I'm probably going to die tomorrow in my time, and I'd love you to take Harry in and raise him as your son. Please, Severus," she pleaded, before she began to sob into his robes, feeling very comforted by his usual smell of herbs.

Severus unconsciously began to rub circles into his former friend's back, while his thoughts went haywire. "I'm not able to become a father," he finally said, "but I'll come with you and check on him." He called Cicero, his personal house-elf, and ordered him to bring him a few doses each of the pneumonia potion and a medium degree fever reducer, knowing that this was the strongest that he could give to a nine-year-old. Instants later, he held a small box with the requested phials in his hand and suggested, "Let's take the Floo to Arabella Figg's place. She is supposed to keep an eye on the boy, and she lives just across the road."

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Harry blinked. Somehow, everything felt more real, and he could breathe again. His parents were sitting on the edge of his bed, quietly talking to each other. "Mum, Dad," he croaked, suddenly feeling very thirsty.

Lily gently helped him into a slightly sitting position, before Severus pressed a small goblet against his lips. "It's only water," he said softly. "Drink, but only take small sips."

Harry automatically obeyed, feeling much better than before and very cared for. With a smile playing on his lips, he slowly drifted back to sleep, hoping that his parents would still be there when he woke up again.

"Did you hear what he called you?" Lily whispered softly, leaning against Severus' shoulder.

"Lily, he was delirious. He knows that I'm not his father," Severus replied, sighing.

"But he adores you, and he doesn't know James. Please, Severus, take him away from here. Let him grow up at Hogwarts. Each other's company will do both of you good. I'm so sorry that I can't stay with the two of you, but..." She suddenly interrupted herself and gave Severus a sharp look. "You must know how it happens. Who is going to kill James and me? Is it You-Know-Who?"

Severus sighed. "Why would you want to go back into the book only to become killed by the Dark Lord tomorrow night? Just stay here with us. You don't have to go. It already happened nearly eight years ago. You're free to remain here in this time. We will destroy the back cover of your diary, so that it can never be closed again."

"But..." Lily trailed off as Severus quickly captured her mouth with his lips, pulling her into a long kiss. "Sev, everyone knows that I died eight years ago. How...?" she queried when he finally released her.

"Well, then let's give the dunderheads, who have nothing else to worry, something to think about," Severus said, smirking. "Lily, Harry needs you, and I need you, too," he added in a much lower voice. "Let's take Harry and return to Hogwarts."

"But I can't go back to St. Mungo's," Lily mused aloud.

"Why would you? You could become Poppy's assistant, or Filius Flitwick would be grateful if you became his successor. He has been talking about you and the waste of your talent all these years. However, I believe that Harry needs a full time mother, at least during the next two years until he becomes a student."

"That's true," Lily said thoughtfully, "as love thirsty as he is and as often he gets sick. But won't Professor Dumbledore mind? He is still the Headmaster, isn't he?"

"He won't mind, especially as your son is the saviour of the magical world," Severus replied, smirking. "I'll explain at a later time. Very well then, if you gather the luggage, I'll take your son." He pulled out a silver chain with a pendant in form of a dragon from under his robes, before he carefully scooped up the child.

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When Harry woke up the next time, he felt much better. 'Lily and Severus helped me,' he thought happily and hurriedly opened his eyes to see if they were still with him, knowing that he couldn't call them if he wasn't sick anymore. To his surprise, he found himself in an unknown bedroom. It was furnished similar to his room in the attic, but this room was larger, it was kept in light blue colours, and it seemed to have no ceiling. From a window, he could see a lake. 'Where am I?' he wondered. 'And why does this room have no ceiling? What am I going to do when it rains?'

Before he could scramble out of his bed to further examine the room, Lily and Severus came through the door.

"Hello Harry, who are you feeling?" Lily asked softly and began to wave her wand over him, while Severus mixed the contents of two larger phials in a small goblet.

"Much better," Harry said happily. "Thank you so much for making me all better."

"We have to thank Severus," Lily said softly. "He gave you the necessary potions."

"Thank you, Severus," Harry said, glancing at the man, who looked a few years older than when he had met him the last time. "I'm glad to see you again."

"I'm happy to see you and your mother, too," Severus said quietly. "Now, let me give you your next dose of potions."

Harry obediently took his medicine, before he lay back in relief and finally remembered to ask, "Where are we?"

"We are in your room in my quarters at Hogwarts, which will be your and your mother's home from today onwards," Severus said, motioning for Lily to explain to her son what they had decided.

"I really don't have to live with the Dursleys anymore?" Harry asked in disbelief. "I can live here together with the two of you?" Seeing Lily and Severus nod, he said, "That's so absolutely cool! Thank you so much!"

"I'm happy, too," Lily agreed, unobtrusively wiping a tear from her cheek. "Thank you for reading me out of the book, Harry, and thank you for everything else, Severus."

Severus slightly inclined his head, before he stood from the chair he was occupying and stretched. "I'll go and get Petunia's signature on the guardianship parchments, so that we can file them with the Ministry. Maybe you can speak with Harry in the meantime?"

"Of course," Lily replied happily and told him that Severus had destroyed her diary, so that she wouldn't have to return but could live with them. "Severus and I decided to marry, and I'd like for you to become his son as well."

"How is that possible?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"In the magical world, there is an adoption potion, which you could take in order to receive Severus' blood and genes. Your appearance might change but not necessarily, and we could also change your name to Harry Snape if you want."

"Will you be Lily Snape then?" Harry wanted to know.

"Yes," Lily confirmed, causing Harry to smile.

"I want to take the potion. Then I'll finally have parents," he said, stifling a yawn.

"We'll be a real family," Lily said, smiling as she watched her son slowly drift to sleep with a happy smile playing on his lips. 'And I can finally be together with the two men I love,' she thought contentedly.

The End

This is what I intended to be the end of the story, although I'm playing with the thought of continuing it. This would take some time though, considering how many stories I have to update and that I'm not able to do so at the moment. We'll see...