Chapter One
Cassandra shuffled along the road in Godric's Hollow, a hunched old woman clad in rags. She was purposefully trying to look mad - her clothes ragged, her silver hair flyaway.
Cassandra Trelawney had a mission.
She had retreated from the public eye and from her own family a number of years ago, fading from the world's view with such neat obscurity that no one was quite sure where she'd run off to. But Cassandra remained, as alive as she was extremely old, and she was still a Seer and still a magical experimentalist, working away at her own private magics, discovering things years before the rest of the wizarding world did.
Famous Seer Cassandra Trelawney lived.
Virtually the only people who knew where she lived now were people who were just as or even older than she was - but more than that, people she trusted. This made the list very short, the people involved few and far between.
But two of those people were Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel, the infamous alchemist couple who had created a Philosopher's Stone.
She had seen what was coming, before her granddaughter Sybil had even uttered the prophecy, had sat down with her old friends the Flamels and sworn them to secrecy.
"A baby will be born, prophesied by my granddaughter Sybil to be able to destroy the Dark Lord Voldemort."
"I didn't know your Sybil was a Seer," Perenelle had said, puzzled.
"Neither had I, the girl showed no talent, but I suppose even I can be surprised sometimes," said Cassandra dryly.
"Shouldn't we tell Dumbledore?" said Nicolas, straightening, worried.
"No. You know I don't trust Albus Dumbledore. It's why he doesn't know where I am or if I'm still alive. Albus Dumbledore doesn't even trust himself. It's why he's never accepted the position as Minister for Magic," Cassandra rasped. She was a Legilimens, on top of everything else, but she was one of the few people who had never needed Legilimency to read Albus Dumbledore. "He's far too manipulative and unpredictable." She nodded decisively.
"Pot and kettle," Nicolas observed flatly. "It's why the two of you don't get on."
"Well, precisely, and I'm not going to have him interfering with my plans. Listen to me. The girl will be marked by the Dark Lord Voldemort, on the eve of the night he murders her parents. Her power will temporarily make him disappear, and everyone will think he is dead, but he will return. As a spirit. To come after your Philosopher's Stone, and therefore revive himself." She nodded to Nicolas. "And the girl, a child now, she will be there - to stop him."
"One little girl against the spirit of the Dark Lord Voldemort?" said Perenelle worriedly.
"Exactly. I think she needs some assistance. I'm bringing in reinforcements." Cassandra had smirked. "That's why I need your help.
"You don't need to do very much. Only die. You see, the girl will save the Stone in any timeline, but after that it will have to be destroyed so the Dark Lord cannot strive after it again. After you die, I'll need control of your estate. I must remain anonymous. Not even Albus Dumbledore must be able to figure out who I am.
"I plan to control certain things from the sidelines."
"Oh, so you only need me to lie to one of my greatest friends and then die," said Nicolas dryly. "Yes, Cassandra, that's not a tall order at all. I'm going to regret asking this, but just what on earth do you plan to do in the meantime?"
Cassandra cackled, barking out her harsh old laugh. "This is a rare opportunity, Nicolas," she said slyly.
"Not another of your experiments," Perenelle sighed. "Your curiosities can get people killed, Cassandra."
"Yes, but this time they will do just the opposite!" Cassandra's ancient face cracked with a somewhat evil looking grin. "Look, I am the most powerful Seer existent on the planet in three centuries, and this girl is the most heavily prophesied young witch to come along in at least one hundred years. I plan on invoking something called prophecy magic - a dangerous and seldom used magic that can make the impossible quite possible, bringing together elements of the past, present, and future."
"I know what prophecy magic is," said Nicolas, frowning. "And if this doesn't kill you, Cassandra, it could leave you bedridden for days."
"A sacrifice I'm willing to make," said Cassandra simply. "Now. Look what I have." She cackled with laughter as she reached into her pocket - and brought out a Time-Turner.
"Do I even want to know where you got that?" said Nicolas flatly.
"No!" said Cassandra gleefully, her short little legs swinging in her chair. "I am going to combine the power of prophecy magic and a Time-Turner in a very unique, never before done way."
"Why?"
Cassandra chose to ignore Nicolas. "I am going to reach back into the past, take two past infants from an alternate universe, and place them in our timeline. They will be born here, in the same year the prophesied girl is born, instead - to brand new families, but in circumstances as similar to the original as possible. They will both be wizards, obviously," she added dismissively.
"Obviously," Nicolas repeated incredulously. Perenelle looked horrified. "Cassandra, why are you doing this?"
"Because she's a helpless little prophesied girl. You know I have a soft spot for helping witches with everything stacked against them," said Cassandra coldly, her glee fading. She looked troubled, old, distant. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Nicolas? An unborn infant girl has been pitted against the evillest and most powerful wizard of all time.
"No one can save her… But we can help her on her quest, if we choose.
"You know help comes best in forms of three. That's the old Arithmancy saying, isn't it? And call me revolutionary, but I like the idea of three young wizards helping a young heroine, a prophesied young witch. I find it refreshing." She shrugged, smiling.
"Three? You said you were only bringing two people back," Nicolas pointed out, frowning.
"The third will already be born in her year. Draco Malfoy."
"A Malfoy? Cassandra, you have heard of their family -?"
"Of course I've heard of their family!" Cassandra snapped, suddenly irritable, as she was prone to being when she had to explain things that seemed obvious to her. "Have you heard of Sirius Black?"
Nicolas fell silent.
Or perhaps of Severus Snape, Cassandra thought, that might be more to the point, but sometimes she had to remind herself certain things hadn't happened yet.
"If you're worried about that, this will throw you for a loop. Another person I'm bringing back is the infant, fully human version of the Dark Lord himself. Tom Riddle," said Cassandra coldly.
Nicolas shot to his feet. "Damnit, Cassandra -!" he said heatedly, and then he stopped. Because he felt the heavy magic around him.
Cassandra hissed out laughter. "I've already bewitched the conversation. You've agreed to help me, and you will, or you'll die now." She smirked, blinking in a mock fetching sort of way.
"And the third person you're bringing back?" Nicolas growled.
"Newt Scamander," said Cassandra matter of factly.
"So you're telling me… that Newt Scamander… Tom Riddle… and Draco Malfoy… are going to help some random child witch defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort?" said Nicolas disbelievingly.
"That is correct," said Cassandra with scathing dignity.
"Cassandra, were you on something when you decided this?" Perenelle asked delicately, and she sounded genuinely concerned. "Both of those men are still alive. Newt Scamander is married and retired in Dorset. Lord Voldemort is still at large."
"Thank you for stating the obvious, Perenelle," said Cassandra, helping herself at last to the wine and biscuits offered at the Flamels' table. "And I was not on anything unusual, no."
"So how are you going to do it?" Nicolas sighed, resigned. It was not the first time Cassandra had decided to screw everything up on behalf of an up and coming witch, but she was an old woman, and privately, he was genuinely worried.
"I need contact," she said intently, "with the girl. Or in this case… with her pregnant mother."
And so Cassandra Trelawney, under heavy magical disguise, shuffled along as an old beggar woman along a street of Godric's Hollow. The prophecy had been made; the trap had been set; now to play her part in it.
By the time Albus Dumbledore saw what had happened, it would be far too late.
She found Lily Potter laughing and chatting with Bathilda Bagshot on a quiet country road, her belly swelling. "Oh, having a baby!" Cassandra crowed, with a bright, stupid smile, shuffling over to the belly. "How lucky you are! Boy or girl?"
Lily Potter looked down at the stupid old beggar woman with sympathy in her eyes. "A girl," she said gently. "We're calling her Morelle Noire - Morelle for short."
"Black nightshade?" said Cassandra before she could stop herself, somewhat impressed. "Isn't that poisonous?"
Lily stared. "How do you -?"
Cassandra ducked her head and smiled sheepishly. "Used to be a botanist," she muttered. "May I bless your child?"
Bathilda looked wary, but Lily smiled, open. "Please do," she said kindly.
Cassandra murmured something and touched the stomach - sucking some of the prophecy magic out from the baby; God knew there was plenty to spare.
"Thank you," she cooed, nodding her head, and she shuffled away.
She got quickly behind a wall, took out the Time Turner, combined her own Seer's magic with the magic glowing inside the ever-brightening golden Time Turner… "I'm not going to spare any useless words," she murmured to the universe. "You know what I want, and you know I don't care what it costs me to get there."
There was a bright shoot of light and Cassandra Trelawney passed out cold on the ground.
Nicolas and Perenelle, also under disguise, ran from a nearby cafe to meet her.
"Did it work?" Perenelle whispered worriedly, bent over Cassandra.
"We don't know," said Nicolas shortly. "And we won't; I expect she won't tell us."
They quickly Apparated away with her. It would take two solid weeks of constant bed care before Cassandra Trelawney could walk again.
The world passed by, as if unchanged, not noticing.
It didn't notice when a pale, handsome, dark haired boy was born to dying Muggle parents and sent to a Muggle orphanage. His name was Thomas Harkiss, Tom for short, and he grew to be powerful, power hungry, and power curious, alien and unfeeling, cruel, and determined to be the best that there was. Never shown love himself, he never showed any to others - yet though he was aware of his own abilities, he was far too canny to be unduly arrogant.
It didn't notice when the Weasleys had two sons that year instead of one - Ronald, or Ron, and then his twin Newton, or Newt. Named, on an inspiration, after the famous magizoologist. Newt Weasley grew up to be a red-haired, freckled, skinny, awkward boy, kind and gentle but remote and obsessed with animals and magical creatures of all kinds. Often teased by his older brothers.
It barely took note when Draco Malfoy was born and raised the only son of the rich and infamous Malfoy clan. A platinum blond with silver eyes, translucent skin, and sharp, aristocratic features, he grew up to be arrogant, haughty, teasing, and playful, most unkind to those he felt were lower in society than he was - though not a cruel or evil boy by any means, and much more capable of open love than Tom Harkiss.
All three had somewhat obscure starts in life. They started as they had been originally as infants, full and complete, and grew from there.
But the entire world took notice when Morelle Potter was born.
A pretty young crimson-haired girl with hazel eyes, she took most in appearance after her mother. She spent her entire first year of life in hiding with her parents, before Lord Voldemort blasted down their door one evening, murdered her parents in front of her, and tried to kill her. Morelle Potter was left with a lightning bolt scar and a burning country cottage and Lord Voldemort disappeared.
Even as she became famous all across the wizarding world as The Girl Who Lived, she was sent to live with her mother's Muggle sister, Petunia Dursley. Dumbledore expected things to proceed normally from there, with Morelle living a dark childhood that would make her glad to escape it into the wizarding world.
He had forgotten two crucial factors that Cassandra alone had remembered.
First, she was a girl, and the Dursleys were traditionalists when it came to women. They'd also always wanted a daughter, but already had a son.
Second, Morelle looked like her mother - and though Petunia had hated her sister, she had also loved her.
Cassandra Trelawney watched through regular visions, not only as Newt, Tom, and Draco grew older - but more importantly, as Petunia Dursley grappled with raising Morelle Potter.
And that is where our story begins.
Author's Note: I watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Bad idea, as it turns out. My brain convulsed and vomited forth this.
The next several chapters will focus on Petunia raising Morelle. If I'm going to give a fem Harry a different childhood, I feel I need to go into detail on how it's different. Draco, Tom, and Newt have childhoods that proceeded relatively similar to how they seem to have proceeded in canon.
Morelle is a whole different kettle of fish.
I was listening to Halsey's "Castle" when I wrote this, so if I had to give the story a theme song, that would be it. I also hadn't slept in 48 hours and was totally off my meds. Blame everything good or bad on that.
