Parallel World 4

Only after he went around his aunt did he get a clear look at the red-haired girl sitting on the sofa.

"Potter? Hmm, no, you're not James."

Lily felt she had done something stupid again. If she had slept for twenty years, how could James Potter possibly look the same age as her? He was a Potter, all right, but he wasn't James Potter. He was Harry Potter. "Er, hi, Harry."

Harry thought he was seeing a ghost. A girl with red hair and emerald-green eyes who looked just like his mother was greeting him.

Petunia was silent for a long time before forcing out a cold, stiff sentence. "Take the son you had with that freak and get out, now."

Lily's face fell slightly. She had forgotten that, in this timeline, Petunia had long since grown completely estranged from her. She softly asked to borrow the bathroom, then opened the shoulder bag she carried, which had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it, and took out a bottle of Ageing Potion.

She sighed. How had she inexplicably crossed over to an unfamiliar timeline again?

A moment later, she changed into a mint-green cotton dress with a small floral print and a cream-apricot knitted cardigan over it. She came out of the bathroom and walked over to Harry.

Petunia looked at her with a complicated expression. Lily spoke softly. "Thank you, Petunia, and I'm sorry."

She couldn't explain herself why she was apologizing for a wrong that had never happened. A struggle churned in Petunia's eyes, and Lily stepped forward to give her a gentle hug.

Lily crouched down to meet the small, skinny Harry's eyes. He had seen his mother and father in the Mirror of Erised at Christmas, and now his mother was standing right in front of him. She was just as gentle as he had imagined.

"Harry, would you like to go out for a walk with me?"

Lily was secretly glad she had brought Galleons with her before leaving home. She reached out and took his icy hand.

The two walked out of the house on Privet Drive. Next door, Mrs. Figg recognized Lily at a glance. She and Lily had both belonged to the first generation of the Order of the Phoenix, so naturally they knew each other. Had Lily won her resurrection match? Or were her old eyes failing her? "Good afternoon, Mrs. Figg," Lily greeted her politely.

"Er, mm, good afternoon, Lily. Have you been living well lately?"

Only after the words left her mouth did she realize something was wrong. The more she said, the more mistakes she would make, so she hurried back inside to contact Dumbledore and report the situation. Before she could return, Lily had already led Harry far away.

"Mum, where are we going?" Harry was full of questions, but he couldn't bear to let go of her warm hand. He felt that even if she took him to hell right now, he would be willing to go. That way, he could see his dad too.

"To celebrate your birthday."

Lily hadn't forgotten that today was July thirty-first, Harry's birthday.

Harry was even happier to hear that. He didn't want to know where Lily had appeared from, but he was absolutely certain she was his mother. Voldemort had no need to take Lily's form and put on a dress just to get close to him. Blood ties were a magical thing; Harry was sure of it, and Aunt Petunia had personally confirmed Lily's identity just now.

Lily took his hand and led him to a town in Surrey, where they picked out a beautiful birthday cake. Then she treated him to a proper feast. As he blew out the candles and made a wish, Harry silently hoped he could have a birthday this happy every year from now on. When he opened his eyes, he met his mother's gentle, smiling gaze. Years of pent-up hurt mingled with joy, and his nose prickled as he nearly burst into tears.

"Happy birthday, Harry."

After eating the cake, the two went to a Muggle shopping street to pick out clothes. Lily finally got her fill of dressing up a doll, and Harry obediently let her fuss over him. He was so well-behaved, completely unlike James Potter. James was a little tyrant, while Harry was like a little white rabbit.

"Oh, Mrs. Potter, you have excellent taste. Those clothes suit Harry very well."

Lily stiffened. She turned to see Dumbledore standing not far away in ordinary clothes. Fortunately, he wasn't wearing his signature purple starry dressing gown.

"Mr. Dumbledore, long time no see."

Dumbledore studied her gently. "It has indeed been a long time, but I can't help feeling we only just met last month."

Lily's right eyelid twitched sharply. Could he mean that encounter across time on Halloween all those years ago? But Harry had no memory of it.

"Yes, we did meet on Halloween."

Harry's eyes flew wide, and he tugged hard on Lily's hand. "Mum, you came to Hogwarts on Halloween? Why didn't you come see me?"

Lily was caught in a bind and could only hope Dumbledore would smooth things over himself.

Dumbledore chuckled and finally relented. "Perhaps I'm getting old and remembered it wrong. That must have been more than ten years ago."

Well, he was fishing for information. Lily took the opening and gave a noncommittal answer. "Perhaps I got the time mixed up."

Having obtained the clue he wanted, Dumbledore held out his arm and invited them to accompany him. "Why not come back to Hogwarts with me and have a look around?"

Lily put her hand on his arm, and Harry obediently held on to the hem of her clothes. Light and shadow shifted the next instant, and the three of them arrived in the Hogwarts Headmaster's office.

"Sit down. Would you like a Chocolate Frog?"

Dumbledore settled comfortably into a soft armchair, while Lily and Harry sat side by side across from him. Lily casually took a Chocolate Frog and tucked it into Harry's palm. It was free, so why not? Harry pressed close to her side like a little personal charm.

"Lily, is there anything you'd like to say to your old friend?" Dumbledore smiled gently, his gaze resting closely on her. At a glance, he saw through her teenage appearance to the youthfulness beneath it, which did not belong to this time and place. Clearly, an Ageing Potion had concealed her true age.

"Everything I want to say is right here." Lily took out a crystal memory vial filled with memories and handed it to him.

Dumbledore lightly turned the vial between his fingertips and spoke slowly. "Might I have a moment alone to look through these memories? I imagine they'll make for a very interesting look into the past."

Lily neither agreed nor disagreed. She got up and took Harry's hand. "Then I'll take Harry around the castle. We won't disturb you."

The two gently closed the door behind them and left. The vast castle was empty, but Harry's heart was full of excitement. As they walked, Lily told him about everyday school life in her time. Harry listened with rapt attention, endlessly curious about his parents' past, as though he were experiencing their youth firsthand.

Harry was astonished to hear that she had made the Quidditch team in her first year. So his talent for flying came from his mother too. He had likewise taken to the pitch in his first year, and the shared experience filled him with a strong sense of closeness to her.

The two wandered from the Astronomy Tower to the Great Hall, then walked slowly toward the dungeons. Snape heard Potter's loud chatter from a long way off. How could that be? Potter couldn't possibly be in the castle during summer vacation. He should have been with those detestable Muggle relatives of his. But the voice drew steadily closer, and Snape could no longer pretend not to hear it. He angrily opened the door, wanting to see whether this was one of Dumbledore's pranks.

"Good afternoon, Professor Snape." Harry was in such a good mood today that, for once, he spoke pleasantly to Snape. "Good afternoon, Severus." Lily greeted him naturally, her expression unchanged, and led Harry straight on.