Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. The series and characters belong to the brilliant mind of JKRowling, and I do not make any money off of this. Also, Severitus was the one that came up with the challenge that this is based off of, and is nice enough to allow it to be a challenge for people to write their own versions and I do not make money off of their challenge either.

Title: Broken Ways
Characters: Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Lily Evans-Potter, Remus Lupin, Draco Malfoy and several OC's.
Pairings: read and all shall be revealed.
Rating: M
Chapter: 29
Genre: Angst/Drama
Words per Chapter: 1,216
Warnings: response to Severitus' challenge, het, OCs, AU, abuse, trauma, psychological issues, violence, swearing, and whatever else comes to the mind of this crazy authoress.
Summary: Harry's life looked as if he couldn't get any worse, but it somehow manages to do so. Just as he thought that there was no way it could look up, he finds out that he had a living family member. The question is however, do they really want him? How can two people who don't get have to suddenly get use to each other?
Notes: Here's the final chapter. There is a sequel in the works; I am working to get that out quickly. When the sequel is posted, it will be titled "Gathering the Pieces". I hope that everyone enjoyed this, it's taken me over four years to write, and now has come to an end.

Chapter 29

Isabelle knocked on Remus' door the day after her identity had been inadvertently revealed to Darren. She had decided that the boy could use a little bit of time alone before they spoke. She wasn't sure what she would accomplish by speaking with him, but she knew that she had to try. That had left her thinking through as many scenarios as she could before the two even came close to speaking.

Remus opened the door and gave her a small smile as he stepped aside. Isabelle came in and watched as Remus closed the door. She cast her spell to reverse the glamour, instantly returning to Lily. She had to speak to Darren in that form, not as the school councillor. The form she used in front of the school would not help her speak to him; he had to hear the truth from her lips.

"He's in his room. I will go and get him." Remus gestured to the sofa. Remus left her alone, not even noticing that she had taken the seat he had offered her. She was waiting in silence for the two to return to the main room, a mental checklist running through her mind. She had no way of knowing how he would react to what she had to say, but she had to get it all out regardless. She only wished that she knew what was going to happen throughout the conversation.

Remus returned with Darren following behind him. The boy was staring at the ground. Lily bit her lip as she saw his lack of confidence. Remus made him sit down. "Now you'll speak to each other and that's it." He went to another room and left the two alone. Both sat in silence, unsure of who should speak first. Lily had to carefully fight the urge to shift around in her seat.

Lily was about ready to speak, but her words failed her. She closed her eyes, unable to be sure what she could say possibly say. Yet she didn't have to speak first. "Why could you lie to me? Did you not want me?" Lily's heart almost stopped at the sound of a lost boy with a broken heart. His shoulders were slumped and his eyes were cast upon the clenched fists in his lap.

She immediately wanted to put him at ease. "That's not the case at all. I love you and have always wanted you." He glanced up at her. She was glad to see his dark green eyes. "You've been the light of my life and death. Yes I did die." Darren began to chew on his lip like Lily often did when she was nervous. She liked seeing one of her own actions portrayed by her son. She knew Darren and Severus were a lot alike, even if the two men were unwilling to admit it.

"I…If you died, then how are you here?" Lily knew that question would come, and she still had trouble answering it. Darren just watched her, waiting to see if she would answer. She knew she had to, for Darren had too many things kept from him. Lily did not want add yet another bit of withheld information, even if she felt better about doing so to an extent.

She wrung her hand together. "It's quite complicated Darren. You see, I died making sure you would live. You're my baby, and seeing you die was not an option. I'll always die for you. But when I died, someone who was meant to take over for me didn't. She died and so I had to be brought back. It's magic that does these kinds of things. So magic brought me back from the dead to ensure that everything went well. I don't know the exact process, but I was ecstatic to be able to come and be with you. I've watched you, and it has pained me to not be there. Yet I was forced to hide. It's been hard to keep the truth from you. Remus and Severus found out by accident." She then let out a slow breath. That had taken a lot to say, but it was the truth. She knew that he needed to know. She only hoped that Darren wouldn't hate her for what she had been forced to do.

He remained silent for several moments, absorbing the information that had been given to him. There were so many things happening to him. He had to take several deep breaths to try and calm himself. He had so many questions still running through his mind, but it had become increasingly difficult for him to word them. He finally found a way to word what he wanted to say, though he was sure it would sound strange. "So, you've been here a little while, but couldn't tell me for some reason?" When he said it, he noticed that the question didn't sound as strange as when he had first thought it out.

Lily sighed. "Yes I have been, and I couldn't tell you because they didn't want any kind of risk." She wondered how to explain the situation to him, when she really just wanted to hold him and never let go. "Darren, please know that you're everything to me. Yes I love your father, but you're my life. I've said that a couple times in this conversation, I think. I know it feels like a betrayal to watch me and know I did lie to you. Never will I do it again, I didn't want to in the first place." She watched to see what Darren would say in response to all of that.

Darren's gaze fell to his hands; he knew what he wanted to ask. He wanted to ask it more than he had ever wanted to for anything else. He let out a slow breath. "Okay, yes it hurts, but what can we do from here?" Lily was glad he was at least asking that.

"Simple, we are going to try and get to know each other. Now I won't push. It's all up to you how it goes." She watched him to make sure he knew she was allowing him to realize that he did have control of the situation. It wasn't something he was use to. She wanted him to have that freedom. She knew that it would be good for him to have control of something.

"I guess that's good. We can do that. I do want to know you, you're my mum." She smiled. She knew it had been easy, but at the same time, she knew it wasn't. He just wanted a parent that would love him, and that's what she was offering right then. Yet she knew that it would have to remain a secret, as nobody could know about their relation or her being alive. But she knew it was alright, and would always be. The situation they were in was strange, and it would take Darren some time to trust her. Lily was glad she was getting her son, but it had taken her long enough, and it was still too long. Yet it would take longer for him to trust her, but that was something she had the time to do.

The End

A/N: That is the end of "Broken Ways", this is how the story was intended to end. There will be a sequel, when there are enough chapters written. So look out for "Gathering the Pieces" when it is posted. Later.