Marked

Harry was grateful for Hermione's hand in his the moment he stepped into the Great Hall. It seemed every eye was on him, worse than his first day back after Cedric had been killed, more intense even than the stares he'd gotten after he and Neville had collapsed during class the week before. Even the professors seemed to be watching them as they crossed the room, Neville in the lead. They hadn't gotten more than a few steps when the first whispers reached Harry's ears and he frowned. A few seconds later, he found himself standing in front of Draco Malfoy. The other boy wore a forbidding expression; his grey eyes were dark as they regarded him.

Ignoring everyone else, he said, "I need to talk to you, Potter."

Finally, Harry thought. The Malfoy I'm familiar with. "What about?"

"You know damn well what about," he responded. His voice had carried in spite of its relative soft tone. The other students had fallen nearly silent to hear the exchange.

"Look Malfoy, I don't have anything to say to you," Harry said.

"You owe me an explanation," Draco said, his pale face quickly turning red. "Why'd you do it?" He pulled out his wand and thrust it under Harry's chin.

Harry's eyes narrowed as his head was forced back. "You have about ten seconds to remove that," Harry said softly. The hard wood dug into the soft skin.

"Or what?" Draco asked. "You'll kill me?"

"No, but I will give you both a week's detention if you carry on like this," McGonagall interrupted. She made a shooing motion with her hands. "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, I need to see you both outside just after the bell." She waited for Draco to walk back to the Slytherin table, then moved to her place at the center of the staff table.

Hermione tugged at Harry's arm. "Come on, Harry. You've got just enough time to grab something to eat."
He followed her to the table, lost in thought. If Draco blamed him for what had happened to Snape or his own father, did that mean they had no chance of getting information from him? Not that Harry had thought there was a good chance the other boy would be on his side after Bellatrix Lestrange went on the run, but after the few things Draco had shared with him, he hadn't known what to expect.

Harry endured the rest of the allotted breakfast time in silence, ignoring the stares and whispers from his classmates. Once, he and Neville exchanged a long look and the other boy gave him a brief nod, one Harry took to mean that he believed him. Maybe it wasn't an outright statement of support of his claims, but at least Neville was less likely to go around thinking Harry had lost his mind.

The minute the bell rang, Harry and Hermione made their way to the hall. Harry studiously ignored the way other students curved around them as they walked, as if they were afraid he would turn and hex them if they brushed against his clothes. Hermione, on the other hand, looked ready to hex the next person who gave the pair a sidelong look. She was scowling by the time they reached Professor McGonagall in the Entrance Hall.

"Let me guess," Harry began. "You missed me so much over the weekend, you can't wait to have me in your office for more quality time."

This earned him a wry smile from the Headmistress. "While I did find your company fascinating, I don't believe it will be necessary to deprive the rest of the students and faculty of your presence. No, I wanted to speak with you about your mother," Professor McGonagall said.

"Is something wrong?" Harry asked.

Professor McGonagall smiled again and it was then Harry noticed how uncomfortable she appeared. She wrung her hands and nodded in the direction of the last of the students leaving the Great Hall on the way to class. When the hall was empty, she turned back to Hermione and Harry.

"Your mother seems...strange this morning."

"She's here?" Harry asked.

The Headmistress nodded. "She came back not long after she'd left last night. Apparently, Raven was quite upset and insisted on sleeping in her father's quarters. Lily did not wish to upset her further." McGonagall looked down and shifted her feet. "This morning, she seems...I don't know. Out of sorts." She raised her eyes to Harry again. "I hate to put this on you, but I have a lot to take care of this morning and I think it would help her to have family around. At least, someone a bit older than your sister."

"I'll take care of her," Harry said.

"Miss Granger, do you mind keeping them company?"

"No, of course not," Hermione responded. "Are you sure I won't be missed in class?"

McGonagall shook her head. "No, your professors understand that...recent events necessitate special circumstances. If I remember correctly, you've already completed a number of your class assignments for this week." She turned to Harry. "If you need the time, you may miss class tomorrow as well."

"I don't think that'll be necessary," he said. "I'm fine."

"You just got out of the hospital," Hermione reminded him.

"I mean, I'm not grieving or anything," he clarified. "If I wasn't well, they wouldn't have released me from St. Mungo's."

"Correct, Harry," McGonagall put in before Hermione could argue further. "Please let your mother know I will have lunch sent for you all if she wishes. Or she can take lunch in my office if she needs a break from the dungeons. I don't believe she'll want to have lunch in the Great Hall."

Harry nodded and they watched as the Headmistress took off at a brisk pace down the hall. Harry turned towards the stairs and Hermione followed him to the dungeons.

"Did anything about that strike you as strange?" Harry asked.

"A little, but she's worried about your mum. You were worried about her yesterday, remember?"

"Yeah," Harry responded. "But there was something odd about the way Professor McGonagall was looking at me."

"She's not afraid of you, Harry," Hermione stated, easily reading his thoughts.

He nodded, wondering how Hermione could be so sure. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. When they reached Snape's living quarters, they found Lily standing in the front room, surrounded by stacks of boxes. As they watched, she conjured a large cardboard box and moved a row of books from the top of a bookshelf into it.

After the events of the last few days, Harry wondered where he should begin. It had been a little awkward between them the night before, in spite of what Hermione thought, but he still didn't know how to relate to the woman in front of him. It was as if, by her hastily spoken words, they really had become strangers and he was the interloper stealing her from her real son. At least, that's how he figured she felt. Like he was the substitute his mother would have to love in place of the real thing. Harry had no idea what he could do to fix something as depressing, and as accurate, as that.

Hermione elbowed him in his side. When he turned to her, scowling, she pointed into the room and motioned forward with her head.

"Want some help?" Harry asked finally.

Lily jumped and turned towards them. "You scared me. Don't sneak around like that." She lowered her wand.

"Sorry," he responded, stepping further into the room. "I didn't realize you'd be here so early."

She shrugged. "I knew Professor McGonagall wouldn't want these things around for long, so I thought I'd get them out of the way while I was in the mood for it."

Harry exchanged a quick glance with Hermione before walking closer to his mother. "Are you okay? Did you need anything?"

Lily lowered the next stack of books into the box before looking at her son. "Of course I'm okay, Harry. Why wouldn't I be?" She smiled and conjured another box next to the first. "There's just a lot to be rid of and I want to be sure I get it all out before nightfall. Cleaning up other people's messes always takes longer than you'd expect," she said. Clearing her throat, she turned to face him and Hermione. "What have you been up to? Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Professor McGonagall gave us permission to spend time with you this morning," Hermione said. "Afternoon classes have been cancelled."

"Why?" Lily asked. She paused and her smile faltered. "Oh...well, I can see why some of the students may feel like going to the service. I suppose a few of them may even miss Severus."

Harry refrained from asking if she would be one of those who would miss him. He didn't really want to know. Even with her brisk, happy manner this morning, he could sense she was going through a lot she wasn't articulating. "Do you really have to go to that?" Harry asked. "People will understand."

"Your sister won't," Lily reminded him. "Before you get any ideas, you'll have to be there too," she added.

Harry sighed and moved forward to hug his mother. She accepted his embrace stiffly. "I'll try to be good," he said.

Lily laughed. It was a thin, hollow sound. "I think I've heard that before. Just...don't talk about him at all if saying nice things becomes too taxing. I'm sure the ceremony won't last too long and the burial--I just realized there won't be one. Dumbledore wouldn't tell me why." Her eyes dropped.

"Mum--"

"Don't tell me, Harry," she said, waving her hand absently. "I think it's best if we just move on." She turned to the open box in front of her and sealed it closed. "The ceremony today won't last long, at any rate. I can come back and finish this and then Raven and I are going back to stay with Sirius for a little while."

"Where is Raven?" Harry asked.

Lily stopped what she was doing and looked towards the hall leading to the back rooms. "She's hugging her father's pillow because it smells like him." She turned back to the two teenagers. "I told her she could stay there until it's time to leave."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said. "I can only imagine how difficult this is for you."

Lily nodded and turned to conjure another box. Hermione locked eyes with Harry and nodded her head in the direction of the hall. Glancing briefly at his mother, he nodded once at Hermione and then walked down the hall. He was scarcely gone a minute before Lily spoke.

"I see you've had no problems adjusting."

Hermione nearly dropped the stacks of books she'd begun levitating. "What do you mean?" she asked in a halting voice.

Lily turned to Hermione and smiled. For reasons she couldn't immediately place, the gesture gave the teenager a chill. "I mean the two of you seem awfully close, considering that you were in love with someone else a few weeks ago."

Hermione blinked hard. "I...well, I still love--"
"I find it hard to believe your feelings are genuine," Lily said as if Hermione hadn't spoken. The bright green eyes narrowed. "That, or you didn't feel quite so deeply for my son the first time around," she said softly, turning back to the half-empty box on the floor.

Hermione's eyes widened at the implication. "That's not fair," she said. "Of course I love him. This has been very difficult for me."

"So I've gathered."

"He needs me," Hermione said. She stepped closer to Lily. "He doesn't have...he didn't feel like he had anyone else and I've been there from the beginning."

Lily nodded and lowered another stack of books into a box. "Ah, so it's all about a scar and certain death?"

"What?" The stack of books dropped to the floor. Hermione took no notice as she watched Harry's mother, her face suffusing with color and her hands shaking.

"You're infatuated with a tragic hero," Lily said in a flat voice. "I understand perfectly. It's so easy to get caught up in wanting to save someone. I do hope he knows how you really feel."

"Of course he--"
Lily turned to her swiftly and Hermione stopped speaking, startled by the knowing expression in the watchful eyes. "He wasn't dating you before, was he?" she asked. Her brows went up as she asked the question and, again, Hermione felt uneasy as the woman in front of her smiled.

"I...no. Actually, he wasn't really sure about it before now, but--"

"But you were very convincing, weren't you?" Lily asked. "I suppose I should be relieved neither of you will be alone in this confusing time."

Hermione shook her head. "It's not like that. I love him. This isn't just so I don't have to be alone now."

"Of course not. The two of you have strong, pure feelings for each other. And you know his feelings for you aren't based on any...physical favors he may be expecting?" She smiled at Hermione. "I may not have raised him, but that doesn't mean I won't protect him if I have to. You should remember that."

"I am hardly someone you have to protect Harry from," she said weakly.

Lily nodded and went back to packing books.

Harry walked slowly down the short hall to the last bedroom. He hesitated outside the half-closed door, forcibly reminding himself that he wasn't to blame for what had happened to Snape. The man had brought it on himself. Small comfort that would be to his sister, he knew. Harry eased the door open and slipped into the cool air beyond it. The room was dark. When his eyes adjusted, he saw his sister sprawled in the middle of the bed, surrounded by pillows, one clutched tightly in her arms as she buried her face in it.

Time to be a big brother, he thought. Harry cleared his throat.

The minute she saw him, Raven ran over to Harry and wrapped her arms around his legs. He knelt down to the little girl and she moved her arms around his neck, squeezing hard enough to choke off his air supply. "Harry-bear, Daddy's gone," she said just before she started crying.

He knew, without having to be told, it was not the first time she had cried that day, nor would it be the last. He had the feeling this was just one of many times his sister would be crying over her father, and the thought made Harry hold her even tighter. He felt a fresh wave of guilt overtake him as he held Raven, though he wasn't at all sorry for had happened to Snape in the end--especially after reviewing Tonks's memory. He was sorry his sister had lost someone she loved so much--and even sorrier that Snape wasn't the kind of man who deserved her tears and she would never know the truth about it. At least, not from him. He hadn't disputed his mother when she'd asked, but Harry knew there was no way he could tell his sister the truth about her father. She'd been hurt enough and the last thing he wanted was to make her pain any worse.

Raven pulled away from him and sniffled, wiping at her eyes frantically with her hands and sleeves. "Did you see him?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. He followed as his sister lead him over to the bed and sat down. She immediately clutched at the center pillow again, squeezing it as she looked up at her brother.

"Mummy says there won't be a burial because he's not here anymore," Raven said. "You were there for the accident, did you see where he went?"

"No," Harry responded. "She told you that?"

Raven shook her head. "Sirius. Then she said she's glad because it won't hurt as much if she doesn't have to look at him." Tears spilled down the girl's face as she regarded her brother. "What did she mean?"

Harry pulled his sister to his side. He wished suddenly his mother had been careful to make sure she wasn't being overheard. He'd have to talk to her about that. "She means," Harry began, "seeing your daddy again will make her more sad than she already is."

"You mean if she sees a picture, it might make her cry?"

Harry nodded. "If you want, you can keep all of your daddy's pictures from the house in your room. I don't think she'll mind."

"But, after she stops being sad, won't she want one for herself?" Raven asked. She sniffled and wiped her cheeks on her sleeve again.

"I'm sure she has plenty," Harry responded smoothly. "And it would make you feel better to have them with you, right?"

Raven nodded. "I'm glad you're okay," she whispered. She dropped the pillow and turned her face into her brother's robes. "I don't know what I would do if you were gone too," she said.

"You're never going to lose me," Harry promised. He only hoped he could stick to that promise as time went on. He looked around the room. Even without the sound of his sister's sniffles, Harry felt the room was as cheerful as Snape himself had been. He didn't know how his mother could stand to sleep here when she visited.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" Harry asked. "Hermione can go with us. If you want," he added.

Raven nodded and slid off the bed to her feet, clasping her brother's hand as she led the way from the darkened bedroom. When they entered the front room, they found Lily standing in front of the half-empty bookshelf, still packing boxes and Hermione staring at her, red-faced and trembling.

"Are you all right?" Harry asked. He tried to run across the room to her, but Raven held his hand tight. He settled for walking slowly, pulling his sister along.

Hermione had jumped when he'd spoken, her eyes quickly moving away from his mother. "Me? I'm fine." Her voice had come out abnormally high. Harry's eyes widened. Hermione cleared her throat and looked away from them briefly. "How are the two of you?" she asked in a softer tone, smiling at Raven.

"We're going for a walk," Raven informed her. "Are you coming too?"

Hermione nodded quickly, glancing briefly at Lily before returning her gaze to the brother and sister. "I think now is a great time for a walk. I feel suffocated in here."

"We'll be back before lunch," Harry told his mother as the trio reached the door. He waited for her response as Raven tugged impatiently at his hand. Lily merely smiled briefly in his direction and nodded before returning to her packing.

They were out of the dungeons and walking towards the front doors when Harry turned to Hermione. "Care to tell me what that was about?" he asked.

Hermione stumbled mid-step before continuing her brisk stride across the Entrance Hall. "There's nothing to tell," she responded shortly, giving a pointed look at his sister. "Your mother just needed to get something off her chest. It caught me off guard."

"You look upset," Harry said.

Hermione said nothing as she reached for the front doors. They were pushed open from the outside just as her hands closed over the handles. Sirius stepped inside and smiled at the three children as he came into the Entrance Hall.

"Morning all," he said. He shook his head slowly. "You are just like your father," he said to Harry. "Never in class if you don't have to be." Sirius grinned. "Feeling better today?"

Harry shrugged. "A bit. I suppose anything's better than yesterday," he said, recalling his conversation with his mother at the hospital and the crying fit that followed. In the cold light of a new morning, the events of the past few days seemed like a long way off. Harry hoped, when he went to sleep that night, they would continue to feel that way.

Sirius nodded. "You wouldn't know where I could find Lily, would you? She left my house early this morning and she wasn't at the house in Godric's Hollow."

"She's in the dungeons packing," Harry said. "She wants to get everything done today."

"Figures she'd have that attitude," Sirius said softly, his mouth pulling into a brief frown. "I knew she wouldn't be able to put it off for long. How is your mother doing, Harry?"

He glanced briefly at his sister, now bouncing from foot to foot impatiently. "She's--"

"She's really acting strangely," Hermione said, cutting him off in a brisk tone. "I think she needs someone to talk to. Someone understanding," she added.

Harry looked at her in surprise. She ignored his stare and walked towards the doors. "We'll be back for lunch," she said to Sirius over her shoulder; she grabbed Raven's hand from Harry and led the little girl outside.

The first set of shelves were nearly empty, but Lily still felt as if she'd just gotten started. Severus had lived here during the school year and she and Raven had joined him some of the time, but it still felt as if the entirety of his life was contained inside the stone walls--a life she had apparently known little about and hadn't really been a part of. The man she'd married and fought for and felt the betraying urge to cry for had left no evidence of his existence in this room. Or maybe he had. Maybe he was the one she could give herself permission to grieve and the one she welcomed into her home in Godric's Hollow was the stranger she needed to forget.

That possibility was even more depressing. She had very few memories of the respected professor in the man she married and most of the recent ones were either too painful to think of or burned so deeply into her guilty conscience she was tempted to use magic to forget them.

Her eyes caught on the middle of the next bookshelf, where a row of photographs moved in a repetitive show of happiness. The largest one, in the center of the shelf, seemed to call out to her more than the others.

Lily Summoned the photo from across the room and held the frame in one trembling hand. In it, she and Severus were standing in the middle of the park, fall leaves drifting to the ground around them as he held her. She remembered that day clearly. They'd just found out she was pregnant and her ecstatic husband couldn't stop enfolding her in his arms and pulling her close for a kiss. In the picture, he nuzzled her neck and she playfully batted at his shoulder with one hand, both of them giggling like teenagers. Tears began to fill her eyes as she looked at the moving image. She blinked them back as the door opened and Sirius Black entered the room.

She managed a smile for him. "I didn't think you'd be up this early or I might have waited for you."

He returned her smile, walking slowly into the room and pulling the door closed behind him. "I had a feeling you'd need me here," he said. Lily shrugged. Sirius wasn't fooled by her apparent nonchalance, she could tell. He pressed on. "How have you been? I bumped into the kids a few minutes ago, they seemed worried about you."

Lily looked down at the frame in her hands briefly, her pretense of a smile gone. "Did they? I don't know why they'd be worried."

He stepped closer. Lily could feel the tension moving off of his slowly moving body in thick waves. It was almost palpable in the enclosed space. "Everyone is concerned about you," Sirius said. "Hermione seems to think you need someone to talk to."

At the mention of her son's girlfriend, Lily's eyes narrowed and her spine stiffened. "Does she?" Lily asked, her voice rising in pitch. "The only thing I need is some assurance that my son is safe--particularly with her."

Sirius stared at her for a moment, his face expressionless. "What do you mean by that?" he asked carefully. "Of course he's safe with Hermione."

Lily snorted. "Don't you think it's funny that Hermione seems so taken with him after such a short time?"

He blinked hard. She'd surprised him with that question. "I never thought about it," Sirius replied honestly. "They seem to be getting along well," he said slowly, attempting to get the measure of her sudden change in mood.

Lily looked back down at the picture of her and her second husband. The faint lines around her mouth tightened minutely. "He's a very handsome boy, you know. A girl like that might start getting ideas."

"She seems very smart--"

"Oh, she is," Lily said, cutting him off. She sniffed and one hand tensed around the frame; her fingers obscured the top of her husband's head every time he moved close to the left side of the picture. "Smart enough to know how to get in on the ground floor. Now that Harry's got his inheritance, a smart, ambitious girl would be a fool not to declare herself in love with him, maybe give him a child to seal the deal."

Sirius coughed at her words. "What? I'm sure their relationship isn't like that. Haven't they been friends for years? She seems to sincerely care about him."

"They all seem that way," Lily said in a suddenly trembling voice. For a few seconds, nothing in the room moved. Lily herself seemed not to breathe as she stood staring at the moving photograph, her own tension rendering her as still and emotionless as a statue. Without warning, she threw the framed photo in her hand against the wall. Sirius jumped at the sound of glass breaking.

"How do I know what she really wants from him?" she shrieked, her voice shrill. She pointed at Sirius as if accusing him of some unknown betrayal. "How do I know she's not going to turn around one day and leave him with nothing? How does he know?"

As her outburst echoed against the walls, Sirius crossed the room to put his arms around Lily. "She is not Severus," he said quietly. "She won't do that to him."

"You don't know that!" Her voice had quieted, but she was shaking in his arms. "I trusted him. I love--I loved that snake and he treated me like a possession he had to fight James for. He treated my husband like a means to an end," she whispered. "How do I protect my son from someone like that?"

"You can't be afraid to trust people for the rest of your life."

"Can't I?" she asked. "I have all the reason in the world."

"If you tell me about it, maybe I can talk to her," Harry suggested.

Hermione stiffened next to him and pulled her hand out of his grasp. Her eyes went to the front of the Great Hall, where a large, unmoving portrait of their former professor looked out over the room. The easel was surrounded by long white candles and large sprays of white calla lilies. Harry had remarked that the entire set-up felt out-of-place but couldn't deny that it had to be done for appearances sake. He'd had to duck questions from a Daily Prophet reporter before the brief service had begun. His mother had agreed they would all wait inside the Great Hall until the guests had left to avoid further interrogation from the one member of the media allowed to document the funeral. Her own statement would have to suffice for all of them.

"There's nothing to talk about," Hermione said, tearing her eyes away from the picture. She began studying her nails. "Just drop it."

"Why can't you tell me what's going on?" Harry asked. "Maybe I can help."

She shifted on the long wooden pew, maneuvering a few inches between her body and his on the seat. "Maybe there's nothing to help."

"Then why were you so quiet?" he asked.

"We've just been at a funeral, Harry."

He frowned. "You know what I mean. You've been like this all day." He took one of her hands in his. "Look, if my mum said something to upset you, you can tell me. I won't get mad."

It was her turn to frown. "Why would you get mad?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you said something to make her upset. Did you provoke whatever she said to you?"

Hermione's eyes shot to his face. Harry regretted his statement as soon as he saw how hurt she was by his words. Her eyes moved and Harry followed her gaze across the room to where his sister and mother had nearly reached the end of a line of students expressing their condolences. Harry wasn't sure if he was more surprised by the number of students who appeared to be genuinely sorry Snape was gone or that his mother hadn't bothered to continue pretending to be sad for the audience. After the Prophet reporter had left, her "tears" mysteriously dried and she'd seemed...well, the only word for it was relieved. She'd seemed relieved that the ordeal was over.

"I did not say anything to provoke your mother," Hermione said quietly. "I wouldn't do that."

"Then, what's going on?" Harry asked. He turned back to her and lifted a hand to caress her cheek. "Please, just tell me something. You know I--" He bit back the words he couldn't bring himself to say yet. "I don't like seeing you upset like this." A definite understatement. As her eyes dropped from his again, Harry was almost glad she'd looked away. The sudden sadness he saw when she looked at him caused a funny little lurch in his chest--one he couldn't ignore. With his girlfriend refusing to give him an explanation, he had no choice but to let his imagination run wild in his concern. He would have to talk to Lily alone the first chance he got.

"Hermione, you look like you're about to cry." Harry let his thumb trace her cheekbone and she bit her lip, frowning as she pulled away from his touch. "What is it?" he whispered.

She shook her head and looked up, her eyes drifting over his shoulder.

Harry turned and smiled as his mother and sister walked over. Most of the students had left and the four were almost alone in the Great Hall. Lily returned his smile when they got close.

"I know this is probably not how you planned to spend the rest of the afternoon, but I was wondering if you could keep your sister occupied while I finish packing in the dungeons," Lily said. "If you don't mind." She smiled.

"Taking care of her isn't a problem," Hermione said, opening her arms to the little girl at her mother's side. Raven walked into Hermione's hug and buried her damp face in the other girl's shoulder.

Lily's smile tightened at the corners. She looked at Harry. "Excellent. Would you mind returning this to Professor McGonagall while you're at it?" She unbuttoned the long dress robes she wore, revealing the jeans and t-shirt she wore underneath. Lily handed the heavy black garment to her son. "She and Sirius insisted I wear something formal today. I didn't bring anything because I didn't want to get anything of mine dirty." At Harry's alarmed expression, she added, "From the packing I'll be doing."

"Sure, I can return it," Harry said. He studied his mother's expression for a few moments before deciding he didn't want to question her--at least, not in front of his sister and Hermione. "What's a Mystik Spiral?" he asked, motioning to her black and white t-shirt. "Is that a wizard band?"

"Fantastic Muggle band, actually." She smiled and tugged at the bottom of the garment. "I suppose it'll be a collector's item soon. I heard they were thinking of changing their name." She nodded at Hermione and her daughter. "I'll catch up with you all before dinner. Hopefully, I'll be done by then."

Harry nodded and watched as his mother quickly made her way past the rows of seats and through the open double doors. He turned back to Hermione. "I see you what you meant about her acting a little strange," he commented, remembering her statement to Sirius.

Hermione shrugged and stood, catching his sister's hand as she rose. "I think we could all use some fresh air," she said. She walked out with Raven, leaving Harry to catch up with them.