Title: It's not too late
Summary: When Severus Snape entered the Room of Requirement, he certainly wasn't expecting that. A different kind of travel fic. Snape x muggleborn OC
I don't own Harry Potter. The only character I own is my OC, Maria Ruiz.
Notes: it's my first fanfic, so reviews are welcome (good and bad ones)
Prologue
Hogwarts, September 2016:
"Ruiz, Maria," McGonagall's voice ressonated across the Great Hall.
A seventh year girl who hid her nervousness quite well went towards the Headmistress. She sat down and the old witch put the sorting hat on her head.
"Well, well… What do we have here? You are as hardworking and dependable as a Hufflepuff, but you aren't suited for it. Mmm… What about Gryffindor? You can be brave when you want to… No, it isn't for you. Let's see… Always top of the class, aren't you? You're a curious and intelligent girl…"
Maria was starting to get impatient. "The sorting hat is old. Surely, one would think it has experience with this kind of things… It's not like it has done anything in its life except sorting people like me. Couldn't it shout out the house one belonged to faster? Apparently not," she thought, exasperatedly.
The hat chuckled at that, startling the transfer student.
"You certainly have Slytherin sass, girl. I can hear your thoughts, you know?" Embarrassed, she swallowed soundly as the hat kept going, "Sorting someone isn't that easy… You actually seemed a Slytherin from the beginning…"
"What's the problem then? Sort me there."
The sorting hat sighed and replied, "I would, but you are muggleborn and the blood prejudice might not do you good, you know? Ravenclaw may be a safer option..."
"Pardon me?! You are not sorting me in a house because of blood prejudice?! It's 2016! For Merlin's sake!"
"I'm just pondering the possibilities; I still haven't made a decision."
"Then I'll decide for you. It's about bloody time someone stops this blood status nonsense. I will show everyone what a muggleborn like me can do."
"In that case… SLYTHERIN!"
Hogwarts, September 1977:
A young Severus Snape snuck out of the Great Hall. He simply couldn't be there, not after seeing James snogging his former best friend: Lily Evans. He had already attended six bloody sorting ceremonies; there was no way he was staying to see another one. He just needed to forget about Lily. He had lost her and it was his entire fault. With that thought in mind, he entered the Room of Requirement. Little did he know he wouldn't be alone in there…
...
Chapter 1
When Severus Snape entered the Come and Go Room, he expected to find himself surrounded by a cauldron and some ingredients for potions, as usual. Brewing and experimenting always managed to relax him. While he was focused on preparing potions, he didn't think of anything or anyone else: no Lily, no Potter, no Mulciber… It was peace, his little paradise: just himself and his potions. Nevertheless, when he entered, the scenario was surprising to say the least: a white room with no furniture.
It wasn't empty though… There was someone lying on the floor. Severus plodded forward. When he was close enough he saw it was a girl around his age who seemed to be asleep. He took in her appearance: brown wavy hair that fell past her shoulders, pale skin with some freckles, full pink lips, oval face and a small snub nose. She was wearing glasses. Even lying on the ground one noticed she wasn't tall. She was neither thin nor overweight, with all the right curves in all the right places. She certainly was beautiful… But that wasn't what caught Severus's eye: it was the uniform, the slytherin one, to be precise. Sure, he wasn't a very social person, but he would remember a student from his own house. She couldn't be new either because the sorting ceremony had just begun. So who was she and why was she asleep in the secret room?
"Excuse me…" Severus muttered. "Wake up."
He realized he wouldn't succeed if he kept using that approach, so against his better judgement, he kneeled down, grabbed her shoulder and lightly shook her. This seemed to do the trick for the next thing he knew, black eyes met brown eyes.
"How did I get here? Where are we?"
"We're in the Room of Requirement and I don't know how you got here."
The mysterious girl sat up and frowned.
"You look familiar… What's your name?"
Her voice wasn't very high pitched, like most girls. It actually sounded smoky. She had an accent, but Snape couldn't quite place it.
"Snape, Severus Snape."
She snorted and sassed, "Yes, right. And I'm the Queen of England. Come on, what's your real name?"
"I told you, I'm Severus."
"Look, we don't know each other, but let me get this straight. I don't tolerate liars. So will you tell me your name, or what?"
Severus was beginning to lose his patience so he spat, "I am Severus Snape and I'm no liar."
The brown-haired girl put her face close to his, as if examining him. The thin teenager was too shocked to move. Their noses were barely touching and Severus could feel her hot breath on his face, making his cheeks turn bright crimson. At this distance, he was able to see that behind her glasses, her brown eyes had flecks of green in them.
"It can't be…" she mumbled, pulling away. "Are you a relative of Severus Snape, the war hero?" She nearly added that the hooked nose must run in the family, but thought better of it.
"War hero? What are you talking about?" Snape exclaimed, now really confused.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake! Am I the only one who pays attention to History of Magic class?"
He raised his eyebrows at her outburst, but didn't comment.
Shrugging, the girl explained in a lecturing tone, "Severus Snape died in the final Battle of Hogwarts, 2nd May 1998. He had previously worked as a spy for Albus Dumbledore and the Order." She couldn't help but add in a sarcastic tone, "Does that ring a bell?"
"I still don't know what you're talking about! 1998? It's 1977!"
The teenager froze at his words… A few seconds later though, she burst into laughing.
"That was a good one! I nearly fell for it! 1977!"
"I'm not lying and I'm getting tired of your nonsense. Who are you, by the way?"
"Maria Ruiz."
"You're Spanish, then."
She rolled her eyes at the obvious observation.
"I'm from Barcelona…"
"What year are you in?"
"7th year."
He snorted. "You say I'm lying? You're the liar! One would think we would know each other, being in the same year and house, so cut the act."
The Spanish girl stared at him intently for a few seconds. It was making Severus feel nervous, but he kept his cool on the outside. Something seemed to click then and Maria babbled, "Wait! I remember how I got here! I was angry and I wanted to change the rivalry between houses… Then I found myself in a room with a door. I opened it and the next thing I know is you woke me up…"
She bit her bottom lip nervously and asked, "Would you believe me if I said I think I might have travelled back in time?"
"What?" Snape blurted out.
"Think about it. I know about a Severus Snape, although he died before I was born… And you said it's 1977! Last time I checked we were in 2016!"
Severus had heard enough.
"Look, we'll get out of here and I'll accompany you to the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey will help you…"
"I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me!" she screeched exasperatedly. "Legilimency. I know you were a good legilimens. Have you mastered the art yet? You can find your answers then! Please!"
Something in her eyes made Severus reconsider it. How did she know he was a legilimens anyway? He had never seen her before and he hadn't told anyone. There was something odd about her. Her whole composure told him she wasn't lying, so either, she was telling the truth, she was a great actress and was pulling his leg or she was crazy. He wasn't sure which option he preferred. In the end, he nodded.
"Perfect! Go on," encouraged Maria.
total stranger was about to enter her mind. Anybody in their sane mind would act apprehensively, but she trusted him. Severus deemed it was weird she didn't show nervousness or fear. The girl intrigued him, that was for sure.
Severus wasn't prepared for what he saw in her mind, especially the muggle world: entirely different cars, TVs, something he guessed that was a telephone inside a little thin flat box, many gadgets… It certainly looked like a futuristic version of the muggle world.
"What the hell was that?" Severus asked in a low scared voice.
Maria smirked and said, "That's 2016, amigo. Do you believe me now?" [amigo = friend]
"Wait! You said I died in a battle?"
She nodded with a sober expression on her face, "Many people did. The Second Wizarding War was horrible."
Severus looked troubled but the mysterious girl paid him no mind.
"Wait! Maybe that's why I was sent here!" she cried out, catching his attention. "To prevent all those slaughters! To prevent the war! I know how it ended, so I can find the way to finish it sooner and without so many people losing their lives. I read about the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts: A History. It gives you whatever you need, right? It makes sense! The wars were caused because of prejudices and rivalries, among other things, and I wanted to stop it." She kept rambling on and on until she asked the only other person in the room, "Why did you enter this room? What did you need?"
Blushing, he mumbled, "None of your business, Ruiz."
Maria put her hands on her hips and looked at him sceptically. "Doesn't it have to do with Lily P-Evans?" she corrected herself.
His eyebrows immediately lifted in alarm. Why would she know about Lily? Why would she assume it had to do with her?
"Why do you know her? Did she…" he trailed off then, struggling to articulate the word. He inhaled and tried again. "Did she pass away too?"
The slytherin girl had read Severus Snape's biography. She knew his patronus was a doe, like Lily's, his best friend, the woman he loved. So as softly as she could, she whispered a yes.
"I'm helping you," he stated, a fierce determination etched on his features.
"What?"
"You heard me. I'm not going to stand by knowing there's a chance to save her. You know the answers. You can stop the war. I'm helping you."