The Covenant's Blood

Eyes Don't Lie

"Mom, I need to tell you something."

Lily watches her son with a tilted head. He's rubbing the back of his neck, bitten lip and rapid blinking. She gently taps next to her on the couch, inviting him to sit. He does, seemingly growing more nervous by the second.

"Something happened this year, at school."

He now has the full attention of his mother, who puts aside her book immediately. She doesn't pressure him to speak faster, but she's listening closely.

"I should have told you earlier, at Christmas, but I didn't expect it to become that big, I..."

He starts speaking, and doesn't stop. He explains the whole year: finding Fluffy, the troll, the mirror, Nicholas Flamel, the forbidden forest, and the final trip to get the stone and everything that happened during it. Lily doesn't say anything. In fact, her face doesn't change. She waits for Harry to finish. He doesn't notice the way her hands are shaking and her lip, trembling.

"So, that's pretty much it. But he's gone now! We don't have to worry about him anymore!"

"Harry, are you okay?"

He stays stunned for a second. When he doesn't answer right away, his mother hugs him with all her strength, practically suffocating him. He realizes that, perhaps, he isn't okay. It was quite hard to handle all of that as an eleven-year-old, but he had his friends at least. Though it's true he may have underestimated the impact all of this had on him, he's feeling fine right now. A whole month has passed since then and the thought of Voldemort dead and gone for good reassures him.

He doesn't like to linger on what appeared to be his spirit going through his body, how much it hurt, and if it meant he was still out there.

"My boy, you always come to me in a situation like that, okay? This is my job. Taking care of you, protecting you. You don't do that all alone."

"I wasn't alone, mom, my friends were here. The whole way." He doesn't mention how much he appreciated Draco going with him until the end.

"Yes, well, that's really nice of them. But you're all children! You need an adult! Why didn't you go to Sirius? Or Remus, or even Severus?"

"I was afraid they would get hurt or worse... And, Ron kind of thought Severus might have been the one working for Voldemort. I had my doubts, too..." He admits.

"Dear." Lily calls, passing a hand through his hair. "Do you think I would let Severus be such a close friend of mine if he actively worked for Voldemort?"

"Well, you're still friends with Barty and Evan, and they both have the dark mark so..."

Lily pinches her lip. She hates that she might have made her son uncomfortable with her friendships. "I can stop seeing them, if you want."

"It's not that! I like Barty and Evan, I just, well... They used to work for him. I was so afraid he would come back and they'd, you know... Join him back."