Part XXXV - Coming Back: Noon

Disclaimer: This is a non-profit tribute to the works of J.K. Rowling, who created and, together with her publishers and licensees, owns the characters and settings elaborated herein.

All my gratitude to my beta AmyLouise. Many thanks to all my kind readers and reviewers.

*************

Part XXXV - Coming Back: Noon

"So." Snape frowned and crossed his arms. "Let's begin. Miss Potter..."

"Lily!" she interrupted him, and he smiled, bowing in acknowledgement.

"Lily," he agreed, and his heart savoured that name and the feeling behind it. "You are a lady, so I'll ask you first. What would you like to do?"

Her eyes twinkled in pleasure. It was evident that that was an unexpectedly juicy question, and she began her listing.

"I wish we could go to Hogsmeade and have tea together at Madam Puddifoot's, and then go to Honeydukes and buy some sweets, and then go to Zonko's and see their tricks...Uncle George says that they have something nice, though old fashioned...and then go to the Three Broomsticks and have a Butterbeer (Mum never allows me to drink one) and then... and then perhaps we may come back," she declaimed in one go and raised her head with a hopeful look.

Snape felt a pang in his heart. The first wish, and he already couldn't grant it!

"These are many wishes gathered in one," he began uncertainly. Lily looked alarmed, and he continued in a dull voice, "I'd like to go there too, but I'm afraid we must stay here."

He made a painful attempt to smile. "You see, other people could get scared at seeing me."

His face had altered, and the girl put her warm hand on his arm.

"Don't be sad, Uncle Severus. We can stay here and play Quidditch together, and you will be the referee, won't you?"

Snape looked surprised at that proposal and turned his head in a mute question to the other children. Al was agape, and for a moment, James seemed wrong footed too; then a meaningful smile opened on his face while he considered his siblings with an eloquent expression.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "Cool! Let's go immediately while the sun is still high... if Professor Snape agrees, of course," he added dutifully with his cheeky grin.

Ginny glared at the boy, but Snape pretended not to notice and watched Al, who blushed in confusion.

"So, two wishes are chosen. Now, what about you, Albus Severus?" he asked. "What would you like to do?"

"I haven't decided yet...." Finally, the boy seemed to have found his smile again. He looked fondly at his older friend. "But I can play with James and Lily to fulfil their wish, and in the meantime, I can choose mine."

"Then we must hurry. Go and ask Minerva for permission," Snape said with his peculiar smile. "But remember to tell her that I will supervise the game. I'm sure that, with this clause, she will give her approval."

The children's faces shone with joy. "Thank you!" they chimed and ran away, pushing each other in a joyful fight to be first.

Ginny watched Snape. "I'm sure they will have a great time," she said in a tone that implicitly carried disapproval.

Right in that same moment, Albus Severus reappeared under the doorframe, as if he had had second thoughts.

"Mum, but what about Dad?"

"Oh, Dad will spend the feast with his parents and friends," she said feverishly in an apparently cheerful way. "They have so much to tell each other! You must understand it's a rare opportunity, being a portrait for one day."

Al looked at the two adults. Snape had darkened, and Ginny seemed on the verge of tears; yet she managed a forced smile.

"Now go and ask Aunt Minerva," she invited her son. The boy didn't move. His eyes kept questioning in silence.

"Mum, will you come with us?" he asked softly.

"I must go and visit Grandpa and Grandma Weasley," she said and averted her face to hide her expression. "But don't worry; I will be back soon. Now, go with your siblings and keep an eye on Lily, will you?"

Al didn't look very convinced, but obediently, he left. As soon as the boy went out, Snape turned to Ginny. "I hadn't asked for such sacrifice, Madam Potter," he said quietly.

Her face flamed. "I'm sorry. Please forget what I said," she replied, lowering her head. Then she raised two anguished eyes.

"But I... you must understand me. I am scared, deeply scared," she admitted.

"Me too," Snape replied slowly. "Me too."

*************

The sun was shining gloriously on the Quidditch pitch, and Snape blinked, no longer used to such powerful light. But what an emotion! Walking in the snow, hearing the rustling sound of his feet, feeling the crisp air entering his lungs while every fibre of his body enjoyed the wonder of the day and the beauty of the whiteness surrounding him! He felt excited, and a hot wave of pleasure rippled across his spine. Everything was joyful. Everything seemed to smile.

The children were excited, too. James was indicating the different places to his sister with a patronizing tone.

"See? Down there is where we practise. The lockers are on the right; I'll show you mine. I have my uniform inside it...perhaps I could wear it, if you want to see how our team is dressed."

He glanced at Snape and immediately switched subject. "See how big the pitch is? During the real games, it's full of people. Wow, so scary!"

He watched his sister with a smirk. "Would you be able to play in front of such a crowd?"

"If you can do it, I can do it too!" she replied bravely, but she was clearly impressed, and when she looked at the giant hoops on the tall poles at the sides of the pitch, she swallowed in apprehension.

*************

James reached the gym and went straight to the broom storeroom.

"Oh no, it's locked!" he exclaimed in frustration.

"That won't be a problem," Snape replied and lifted a long, pale finger. The door immediately opened, and the children burst out in three different exclamations of exultation. Even the normally composed Al got excited at the sight of the wonderful brooms glittering in the half-obscurity.

"Aunt Minerva said that permission to use the brooms is her gift for us," Lily diligently informed Snape, to whose elbow she was clinging possessively. "She said that, though she would have liked to give us a surprise, she didn't know what to choose."

She shook her head at the inevitable silliness of the adults, then watched Snape with deep affection. "So, she said she wants to thank you for the suggestion."

"But these brooms are a bit too big for you, Lily!" Al exclaimed in disappointment.

"Again, no problem," Snape replied, and with a quick flicker of his hand, he reduced a broom to a more manageable size. Lily brightened, and the boys looked at him in admiration. It had been an easy charm, but he felt oddly pleased.

*************

The brooms were ready and Snape felt a strange impatience in his blood.

"Let me see what you can do, Potter!" he teased James as if they were preparing for a real game.

"I'll show you some nice tricks," the boy answered proudly, emboldened by that invitation.

"Will you?" Snape said with his characteristic silky tone. "Then I think I'll have to show you some of my little tricks."

"Oh, er, ah... of course, Professor," James muttered and shot a worried glance at the tall, dark figure towering near him. Snape looked so comfortably at ease... But he couldn't mull over that sensation any longer because his professor spoke again.

"I have had a new idea, Potter," Snape said with a devilish grin. "Let's play teams."

"Oh!" Lily brightened in joy. "You will team with me, will you, Uncle Severus?"

James looked suddenly worried. "But that's not fair, Professor!"

"Really, Potter? Do you mean that two young men, one of whom is a member of the official Gryffindor Quidditch team, are afraid to challenge their old professor and a small girl? I'm surprised."

The boy raised two innocent eyes and considered the man with an expressive look. "I wasn't worried for me, Professor," he replied and smiled meaningfully.

Snape scowled at that disrespectful insinuation and asked the other children, "Everybody ready?"

Lily and Albus Severus nodded hesitantly, but once more, James took everybody by surprise by lifting off with a cry of sheer bliss.

"See you there if you dare!" he cried, rising higher and higher into the sky.

"Wait for me, James!" Albus Severus anxiously called and followed his brother with a manoeuvre that didn't lack elegance, in spite of his inexperience.

"And what about you, Lily? Are you ready?" Snape watched the girl, and she returned his gaze with an uncertain smile. The wizard felt a warm sensation of protectiveness.

"Don't worry," he said, "I'll be with you up there."

Her smile steadied at that reassuring declaration, and she lifted gracefully into the air. Her talent wasn't only a boast because, after a few seconds, she seemed to control her broom with great ease and waved at the black figure staring at her from the ground.

My turn, Snape thought, and an unknown emotion powerfully filled his veins. A new strength was invading him, and he welcomed it while he rose in slow circles towards the pure blueness of the sky.

*************

"Everybody catches, and everybody defends!" Eyes twinkling in excitement, James explained in this way his simplified scheme for a game with such a small number of players.

"Your hoops, our hoops!" he shouted, pointing at two different directions while whirling swiftly.

"Now, let's go!" he ordered, and the Quaffle magically answered that command, floating obediently in the air. James rushed to take it with a wild cry. His joy was infectious, and soon Al joined him in a turbulent chase under the clouds.

For a moment, Snape felt wrong footed; then, that new surprising flux of energy drove him up forcefully, and he and Lily whirled and crossed and danced in the sky, hunting the devils-on-brooms that were zigzagging restlessly over and under and around them.

*************

Comfortably seated on a sofa, Minerva was addressing a very peculiar audience.

Harry Potter and his parents, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Mad-Eye Moody, plus other assorted portraits, were looking at her with attentive faces from their frames on the walls.

"So," Minerva said, concluding her speech, "I think that he has come a long way since his first awakening in a corridor four months ago."

She smiled at Harry. "And we must thank Albus Severus for this unbelievable change. That boy is a dear."

"He's a smart child." Harry nodded almost nonchalantly, but his eyes were sparkling with pride. James put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"And you have been a great dad," he said with a wavering voice. "I wish we could have done for you what you have done for your children."

"You both have always been close to me," Harry replied simply. Lily hugged her son, and Minerva blinked to hide her emotion.

"So, at the moment good old Snivelly is arbitrating a Quidditch game?" The question, formulated with a mix of surprise and disbelief, had been asked by a snorting Sirius Black, who continued ironically, "But he never was able to fly decently, let alone know the rules!"

"You are too harsh with him, Sirius," Lupin said softly.

"And you have always been too kind," Sirius irritatingly declared.

"Well," Harry interposed with a pacifying tone, "I do remember him supervising a game between Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs in my first year."

"Oh, then he probably had his reasons," Sirius replied with a sneer.

"Yes, he never liked flying," Moody said with his wolfish grin, "though he seemed to be perfectly at ease when he hit George Weasley's ear."

"Oh, Harry!" Lily said in a desolate tone. "What is he going to do with the children?"

In spite of her words, everybody understood that she was concerned about the lost friend of her youth rather than her grandchildren. Sirius snickered, Lupin looked embarrassed, Moody shrugged, and James sighed.

But Harry scratched his scar and smiled. "I'm sure he has got tricks to perform."

Minerva got on her feet and went to a window. She peered through the coloured glass and turned to the portraits.

"There is only one way to settle the question," she declared. "We will see what's happening from here. The Quidditch pitch is just in front of this window."

"And surely you hadn't noticed it before gathering all of us here?" the portrait of Phineas Nigellus commented with an indulgent smile.

"Well, why not?" Sirius exclaimed rudely. "It could be a good chance for a laugh. Merlin knows, there aren't many opportunities for a portrait to have fun."

Minerva tightened her lips, then indicated a small frame on the wall behind her. Obediently, the portraits entered their new temporary home, exchanging comments and jokes. As soon as everybody was in, Minerva opened the window, took the picture in her hands and gently placed it on the windowsill.

"Hey, it's cold!" Moody protested gruffly.

"Ah, come on, mate; once in a while, enjoy the occasion," James teased.

"Hey, it's a bit crowded here," Lupin complained, trying to disentangle himself from the mass of people avidly looking at the panorama.

"Young man, I too want to see," Dilys Derwent immediately replied, shooting him an incinerating look.

Then everybody went silent. Over the pitch and under the clouds, Snape and the children were flying on their brooms, crossing paths and laughing in excitement. The piping voices of the boys were clearly audible in the fresh air, and their exclamations of joy left the audience they didn't know they had, speechless.

*************

One, two, three, four, five times Snape saved his hoops from the joint attack of the brothers while Lily expressed her exultation by flying higher and higher. It was time for a counteroffensive.

"You have had your chance," the wizard warned James and Al. "I believe it's our turn now. Beware!"

Following James in a difficult rotation, he plunged himself into a breathless dive and grabbed the Quaffle at the last moment. Then, instinctively, with a quick movement, he threw the ball into the hoop. It had been so disconcertingly easy!

"You did it, Uncle Severus!" Lily exclaimed and lifted her arms up in triumph. But, alas, she had underestimated the force of the wind... a stronger, unpredictable gust, and her broom violently reared up. Taken by surprise, the girl lost her grip, and with a cry of horror, she fell into the void.

"Lily!" James and Albus Severus yelled in panic while, frantically pushing their brooms to the maximum speed, they tried to reach their sister.

But Snape was quicker. In one fluid move, he abandoned his broom and dashed after her. The boys gasped in shock at that sight, yet the wizard seemed to be surprisingly at ease...he extended his arms, and his cape opened like a black wing while he gracefully tore through the air at impossible speed. Gliding smoothly, he passed under Lily, whirled to face her and took her in his arms, gradually reducing his speed to slow down her fall. She embraced him tightly, hiding her face against his chest.

"Scared?" he whispered into her hair. She nodded in silence and shivered, too shocked to speak.

"Don't be," he murmured, rocking her in mid-air. "I promised I would watch over you."

In the meantime, the boys had reached them and were flying in circles, looking at Snape with incredulous, awed faces.

"You... you can fly?" James asked with widened eyes. Then, enthusiastic, he began to shout, eagerly joined by Albus Severus, "You can fly! You can fly! YOU CAN FLY!"

An immense emotion enveloped Snape. Still holding Lily in his arms, he flung himself into a flight under the clouds, and the boys flew at his sides, whooping and laughing in excitement. Soon Snape lost himself in those intoxicating sensations, whirling in elation and enjoying all the elements of that wild ride. He could hear Lily giggle in delight against his chest while he played with the wind as if they were old friends.

And finally, he felt the need to be alone again, to savour his emotions. With a flick of his finger...he didn't even need a wand now...he summoned Lily's broom, wandering aimlessly under them. Gently, he placed the girl on it. Then, at his command, the whole group resumed its mad dance in the sky, diving and jumping and gliding and filling the ether with joyful exclamations.

*************

Pressed against the frame, the portraits had followed the incident with gasps or cries of horror and were now collectively releasing their breaths in relief. Minerva smiled, though the shock of the scene she had just witnessed had paralysed her tongue for several minutes.

"Well, Sirius, what do you say now?" she asked.

"I'm... I'm flabbergasted," Sirius exploded. "But how can he do such things? Is that Dark Magic? It must be! After all, he was a powerful wizard. I've never seen anyone fly without a broom. What do you say, Harry?"

"It can't be Dark Magic," Harry replied simply, still recovering from the terrifying experience of seeing his adored little daughter fall through the void. A sudden thought had flashed in his mind.

The Spell has combined our powers, giving him my skills.

And a new thought had immediately followed, filled by something heartbreakingly similar to compassion.

I'm not going to reveal it.

In the meantime, sceptical and irritated, Sirius was questioning Moody with a teasing tone. "Not Dark Magic, huh? What do YOU think, Mad-Eye?"

"I trust Harry," Moody replied briefly. But that last terse assertion didn't stop Sirius, who called out loudly, evidently hoping for support, "And what about you, Albus? Do you agree? Or is there anything you would like to add?"

Only silence answered that question, and perplexed, Sirius glanced around, soon imitated by those surrounding him. Then he asked in surprise, "But where is he?"

*************

The power that had invaded Snape was growing more and more forceful. Soon he lost himself in those overwhelming emotions, abandoning his spirit to their incredible vibrations. Leaving the children in awe, he rose higher and higher into the blue while flashes of light seemed to explode from his body. Farther and farther up he went, ascending in an awesome silence with only the sound of the wind in his ears. Then, from that astonishing height, he watched the lake, the white fields, the castle, and the mountains shine in the distance: Everything looked so immensely peaceful and remote, so small and insignificant compared to his new condition!

What if he had chosen to follow that powerful stream running in his body? What if he had opted for a renewed existence, in which he could finally release all the potential he had never been allowed to express in his previous life? And finally, the ultimate question that, till that moment, he had desperately tried to elude: what if he had borrowed part of Harry's life?

His former student was young and healthy and powerful. Perhaps the Spell would allow them to exchange their bodies again in the future, before magic had inexorably consumed Snape's energy....

He clenched his fists in sudden resolution.

Why not? He needed compensation!

Why not? He deserved compensation!

He blazed fiercely and felt how great the power in his veins had become. Entranced, he toyed with the many possibilities that this new power was disclosing to his mind.

For a moment, he felt invincible.

For a moment, he felt immense.

Then he lowered his head to the children looking up at him with anxious faces.

No.

No.

He opened his arms in a gesture of submission. Once more, in the moment of his major glory, he bowed to his destiny and slowly began his descent.

*************

The sun had lowered, announcing afternoon, but there was still a warm light on the fields when the children finally landed, eyes shining, cheeks reddened and voices roughened by so much shouting.

Snape landed gracefully near them, and the group went to put the brooms back in their lockers.

"Wow! What a day! What a game!" James exclaimed, exuberant as always. Then he turned to look at Snape with unusual friendliness.

"Can't believe you can fly without a broom, sir. Positively fly! Wait till I tell the others...," he announced with a dreamy voice. Then he asked, in a hopeful tone, "will you teach us how to do it, Professor? Maybe in the next years, when we are older?"

Snape smiled. "Definitely not. You don't need to learn how to fly when you can use a broom like you do, Potter."

The boy brightened at that unexpected compliment, then dared reply, "My name is James, Professor."

"I know, James," Snape replied. "And you are not going to tell anything to anybody about today."

"Why not?" the boy protested.

"Because nobody is going to believe you," Snape replied, and James darkened at that truth.

Lily rushed back after having carefully positioned her broom in its locker. She stared at Snape with starry eyes.

"Thank you, Uncle Severus! It has been... wonderful!" She embraced him tightly, pressing her nose against him with absolute confidence. He caressed her hair and felt an acute pain in his chest. His hands were warm and rosy now, and he could perceive the increasing cold of the fading day. Slowly, his body was stabilising, going towards a complete humanization.

He closed his eyes and breathed slowly, savouring the many sensations enveloping him and reaching him through his restored senses. Each minute, each second, was connecting him more and more with the world, and at the same time, it was shortening the time remaining to his new existence. He lost himself in those unbalancing sensations. Then, suddenly, he realised that the children were looking at him with perplexed faces.

He reacted immediately.

"Albus Severus, it's your turn now. Have you thought about your wish?"

At those words, James seemed a bit disappointed. Of course, the wizard considered, perceiving the thoughts behind that change of mood: James' wish had already been fulfilled while his brother's was still to be formulated. And who knew what other wonders Professor Snape would be able to perform, now that he had revealed such unexpected powers? The boy was evidently regretting those possible, but irremediably lost chances, and Snape smiled sadly. His time was running out so quickly!

He turned to Albus Severus, who was waiting patiently in the snow.

The boy smiled in embarrassment.

"I must tell you the truth," he said hesitantly. "My wish has already been granted."

Snape frowned, clearly baffled. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I had already expressed a wish," Albus Severus replied. "Don't you remember? It was the day of my first visit to Hogsmeade, and I went to see you on my return."

He looked uneasy as both his siblings were staring at him with vivid curiosity.

"Uh, er, well, I told you about Scorpius' Grandpa...," he said, more and more uncomfortable.

And suddenly, Snape remembered: He was alone and anguished in his frame, waiting to know about the epidemic going on. He had kept Lucius' terrible secret hidden in his heart just to discover that Minerva had contracted the same awful disease. He had felt so desperately miserable and guilty. And then... "Do you remember it now?" Al said in relief, understanding from Snape's expression that his older friend had finally focussed on the right memory.

The boy smiled. "That day I had wished that you could go out of your frame."

His smile grew even more radiant. "And you did it today."

Astounded, Snape felt totally disarmed before such innocence. The boy hadn't wished anything for himself, but he had been happy to help his siblings and a friend who, till that morning, was only paint on a canvas. Something humid prickled in his eyes... There were tears trying to force their way out, but they hadn't got enough power yet. Something that was still missing from his complete humanity....

"Ah, come on, Al!" Unaware of those feelings, James urged his brother, clearly frustrated about that useless waste of such an extraordinary opportunity. "There must be something else, now that Professor Snape is here!"

"Yes," Snape added in a much quieter tone, "Tell me what you would like for yourself," he concluded, and his voice trembled slightly while he tried to check his emotion.

"Hurry up, Al!" Lily insisted. "You must have your gift." And she tugged her brother's arm with an expectant look.

Confused, Albus Severus meditated. Then he watched Snape and asked slowly, "I wish we could go for a walk."

"A... a walk?" Snape was definitely baffled, and he raised his eyes at the sky as if asking for help. The weather wasn't inviting. Darkness was just round the corner, and the air was getting colder. Furthermore, where could they go, apart from the castle's gardens? Every other place was forbidden to him....

Forbidden...

Forbidden!

The Forbidden Forest, Snape thought. Not exactly the most beautiful place to choose for a walk, but they could stay in the safe areas just near the borders. Yes, it could work. And, perhaps, that could be the right place to say goodbye to the world for the second, definitive time.

Because, in those last minutes, Severus Snape had finally come to a decision.