Chapter 199: Mother and Son Reunite

Chapter 199: Mother and Son Reunite

Harry could clearly sense that there was something off about Sherlock and Snape today.

Professor Forrest was still the same professor, and Snape was still the same Snape, but there seemed to be a newfound understanding between them, as if they had been acquaintances for a long time.

This left Harry puzzled, and even more so when Sherlock asked him that question just now.

Sherlock no longer played games with Harry and instead spoke with a serious expression.

"Actually, the voice you heard might not have been a hallucination but something real."

Harry was no fool; he understood the implications of those words.

"You, you mean my mom, she's still alive!"

His breathing became heavy, and he asked with wide, unblinking eyes.

He was so cautious, as if he feared that the slightest loud noise might scare away Sherlock's confirmation.

However, Sherlock did not nod as Harry had hoped but instead said solemnly,

"She is still here, but it's not in the sense of being alive. She is with you in a different way."

Harry knew nothing about the relationship between Sherlock and Snape, so he was completely lost by these words.

But Sherlock didn't need him to understand. He drew his wand and instructed,

"Relax, Harry. Don't be nervous. Close your eyes, breathe evenly, and clear your mind of all thoughts."

Harry had no reservations about following Sherlock's directions. He closed his eyes and focused on regulating his breathing.

Snape, who was clearly impatient, still refrained from interrupting them.

Sherlock held his wand and waited quietly. After about five minutes, as Harry's breathing became more even, he extended his wand and tapped the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead, muttering a spell that no one else could hear.

A pale blue light emerged from the point where Sherlock's wand touched Harry's scar.

The light looked cold, similar to the glow of a ghost at night, but Harry, as the subject, felt no chill. Instead, a warmth that seemed to originate from his soul rose from the depths of his body, moving upward until it emerged from his forehead, drawn out by Sherlock's wand!

Snape, watching from the side, saw the cold blue light quickly emerge from Harry's body, gathering and forming in front of him.

Finally, it shaped into a figure that he had yearned for and could never forget!

"Lily", Snape murmured, looking at the translucent, ghostly figure floating in front of Harry, who was staring around in confusion.

At that moment, Harry's eyelids trembled slightly before he slowly opened his eyes.

In the next instant, he saw the face that he only ever saw in photographs and dreams!

Despite Sherlock's forewarning, Harry was still as if petrified by the Basilisk's spell, frozen in place. His lips trembled as he subconsciously called out the name he had never spoken to a real person.

"Mom."

Lily, who had been silent for over a decade within Harry, also looked shocked at the scene before her.

"Harry!"

Harry's body trembled as he stared at her, tears welling up in his eyes. He slowly extended his arms, trying to touch Lily's body, but she was clearly not solid.

His fingers passed through her ethereal form, feeling only a chill.

Sherlock watched this with a smile, his eyes filled with relief. He then quietly walked to the door, gently grabbing Snape's arm and pulling him out.

"You just saw Lily in the past. Give Harry this time now. You'll have plenty of opportunities to see her again after they've had a chance to talk."

Snape's face showed a hint of displeasure, but he said nothing.

Leaning against the wall, Sherlock watched him for a while before suddenly asking,

"You've already told Dumbledore everything, haven't you?"

Snape didn't speak, but he nodded with a calm expression.

Sherlock wasn't surprised. Although Snape wasn't a member of the Order of the Phoenix, he was one of Dumbledore's most trusted confidants. If Dumbledore asked, he wouldn't keep anything from him.

Sherlock stood up and gazed at the ceiling of the corridor for a moment before turning to Snape.

"If you don't want Lily to dislike you even more, it's best not to go in and disturb them."

Snape didn't say anything, but Sherlock knew that he understood the situation far better than he did.

Sherlock then left his office and walked down the third-floor corridor until he reached the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's Office.

"I would like to see Professor Dumbledore."

Before Sherlock could even finish his request, the stone gargoyle, as if it had been informed of his arrival, moved aside to let him pass.

He climbed the spiral staircase and pushed open the door to the Headmaster's Office.

The highly respected old man with the white beard, who was so esteemed in the wizarding world, was not busy with his usual paperwork. Instead, he was taking a moment to relax, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, savoring a piece of honeyed candy.

Sherlock suspected that Dumbledore had been deliberately waiting for him.

"Professor, Snape has already told you everything."

Without any pretense or formalities, Sherlock got straight to the point.

Dumbledore opened his eyes and looked at Sherlock. His blue eyes, magnified by his half-moon glasses, were unusually bright.

He made no effort to hide the admiration in his gaze and nodded.

"Severus told me about your experiences and how you handled them. You did an excellent job, Sherlock. From his account, I don't think anyone could have done better."

Sherlock didn't feign modesty and casually took a seat opposite Dumbledore.

"I just made the choices that felt right, and they did make a small difference in the current situation."

Dumbledore blinked and a curious expression appeared on his face.

"Severus didn't mention that to me."

"It's not that he didn't want to tell you; he only just found out himself", Sherlock said casually. "Harry is in my office right now, meeting his mother."

Dumbledore was clearly taken aback by Sherlock's words. Even the former headmasters, who had been dozing on the walls, opened their eyes in surprise and began whispering to each other.

After a few seconds, Dumbledore regained his composure and looked at Sherlock intently.

"You brought Lily back?"

"Technically, I didn't bring her back. She is still dead, in a sense."

Sherlock repeated the explanation he had given to Snape, detailing his experimental hypothesis and the steps he had taken.

Dumbledore's face grew increasingly astonished as he listened. When Sherlock finished, Dumbledore looked at him with deep admiration.

"Since the incident with the Basilisk last year, your transformation has been remarkable, Sherlock. I knew you were gifted even when you were a student, but I never imagined you would achieve such greatness."

Sherlock, unfazed by Dumbledore's generous praise, waved his hand dismissively.

"I still feel there is a significant gap between me and truly skilled Wizards." He looked at Dumbledore seriously. "Before I returned, I encountered Riddle from that time."

Dumbledore's eyes grew distant.

"Did he attack you?"

"He was too late, but I could still sense the gap between us."

Sherlock said this with lingering fear, recalling how he thought he had made a critical mistake when Voldemort finally appeared.

"It's different, Sherlock", Dumbledore shook his head. "I know he was very powerful back then, and even in my prime, I couldn't guarantee victory against him. But you are only 23, and you have a long future ahead of you."

Dumbledore's face broke into a smile.

"At the very least, Tom never achieved the integration of Horcrux Magic with another spell at your age."

"Perhaps I can alter some of my original plans", Dumbledore murmured to himself, his voice so low that Sherlock didn't catch it.

"Excuse me, Professor, what did you say?"

Dumbledore shook his head.

"Nothing. Could you tell me more about your experiences in the past? I want to know the details."

Sherlock didn't refuse. He recounted his experiences, omitting only the parts involving Silke. He felt that those were personal matters and deserved to remain confidential.

After hearing everything, Dumbledore sighed deeply.

"The traitor who remained hidden in the Ministry of Magic until the very end was Barty Crouch Jr."

Sherlock looked surprised.

"It was him all along!"

"It wasn't until Tom had completely lost his power that he was exposed. Everyone found it unbelievable, but Tom's disappearance drove him into a frenzy. In the end, his father, Barty Crouch Sr., captured him personally and sentenced him to a life sentence in Azkaban."

Dumbledore folded his hands on his desk, his expression calm.

"Because of this scandal, Barty, who had a good chance of becoming the Minister of Magic, lost the position. Fudge, who was not well-regarded, was able to take office."

Sherlock's face showed a hint of regret as he listened to Dumbledore.

"I should have asked Snape for information on the Death Eaters who were later caught. He would definitely have known about this."

Snape did know. If Sherlock had asked, he would have remembered. However, at the time, his mind was entirely focused on saving Lily, and Sherlock had not brought it up.

"Such an outcome is already good enough", Dumbledore said softly. "There's no need to pursue perfection."

"Eddie Butler was a Wizard worthy of respect. I had contact with him and even considered bringing him into the Order of the Phoenix, but before I could formally invite him, he was already gone." Dumbledore spoke with a touch of regret.

"That's why I agreed to have him buried in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts."

Mentioning this, Sherlock's mood became somber, and the room fell silent for a long time. Finally, he pulled a crest-shaped iron box from his pocket.

"Besides Lily, my other major gain is this."

He opened the iron box in front of Dumbledore, revealing a brass key inside.

"Riddle stored something very important in the Lestrange family's vault at Gringotts. I heard this directly from Rodolphus and Rabastan."

"And this key hidden in the crest box, Professor, doesn't it look a lot like the keys used for Gringotts vaults?"

Dumbledore stared at the key in Sherlock's hand, and indeed, it looked identical to the keys used for Gringotts vaults!

"Where did you get it?"

"From Rabastan. He was killed by my Explosive Charm, and I found it on his body."

Dumbledore lowered his head slightly, his glasses reflecting a dim white light.

"You can try, but opening a Gringotts vault isn't just a matter of having the key."

Sherlock had naturally thought of this, which was why he was being honest with Dumbledore about the vault key.

"So, Professor, I need your help."

Dumbledore looked at him.

"What do you plan to do?"

Sherlock narrowed his eyes.

"The Lestrange family, being loyal to Riddle, had almost all of its members thrown into Azkaban. But as an ancient family, it's possible they have bastards or other hidden relatives that no one knows about."

Without needing much explanation, Dumbledore understood what Sherlock was getting at. He paused for a moment, then nodded lightly to show his agreement.

Meanwhile, as Sherlock and Dumbledore were planning, Snape was leaning against the door of Sherlock's office, quietly listening to the conversation between mother and son.

Harry and Lily were both initially very emotional. After shedding tears of joy, Harry excitedly recounted his experiences over the years, choosing to share only the good parts and omit the bad.

Although Lily had been with Harry in a special way, she had no way of perceiving the events of the outside world.

Snape, despite his calm exterior, was inwardly very anxious.

He feared that Harry would tell Lily about the difficulties and unfair treatment he had endured at Hogwarts.

Fortunately, Harry only shared the good news and did not mention any of the injustices and hardships he had faced.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end