Title: The Ribbons of Time
Author: PrincessCaviar aka Kaylea
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Wouldn't you like to know...
Summary: How will Harry react when he wakes up in the room of requirement After defeating the Dark Lord only to find him in an alternate reality. Thrown back in time 13 years. How will he respond to his parents being alive, and how will he extract his revenge on one Severus Snape? A man who is innocent of killing Albus and/ or ever receiving the dark mark?
Warnings: slash, character death (sort of), more later
Disclaimers: I do not own any Harry Potter character much to my distress. But I will use them gently and try to return them in the condition I found them in.
Beta: UNBETAED —bete NEEDED
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For the people who have read this it is now being rewritten. There wasn't much so it should not be to bad. I hope I can keep with it this time. Major family things. So Sorry and I hope this start is better than the last. This is my first story and the second attempt, so bare with me 'k.
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He didn't know weather to laugh or cry. The fact that he was alive was incredible. He had spent most of his life facing one obstacle after another. Scraping by, literally by a hairs breath of a second, or shear luck. Not everyone faced a mad man eight times and lived to tell the tale.
As a babe he lost his parents to the very mad man who would later chase him down. Trying to kill him then and once for every year he attended Hogwarts. As a young child he spent his years with his mothers sister, Petunia, ignorant of who or what he is. Abused and tormented daily for an abnormality he knew nothing about or could even change. Not that he was abnormal mind you, just hated by his utterly boring, normal, mundane, muggle relatives.
At age eleven he was finally told who he was, "A wizard, your a wizard Harry." He learns he is accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for seven years of study and learns how his parents really died. By no means was it a car crash. "A CAR CRASH!! A CAR CRASH KILL LILLY AND JAMES POTTER???!!!" Hagrid had shouted nearly toppling the rickety shack.
He soon found out about his destiny and how a prophecy was to dictate his life. He would never survive if Voldemort lives. He had lost his parents, his childhood and then any possibility of innocents.
This is what he found himself reflecting on for the ten millionth time in his long yet short life of 18 years. In a room made up of stark white walls, starched scratchy sheets, and a headache that should probably cripple a normal man. But Harry had never been a normal man. Powerful beyond Dumbledore. Powerful beyond Voldemort. Powerful beyond Merlin if he really wanted to look into it. It was his burden, his cross in this life to carry, and now all he wanted was peace. Strong as he was Albus had fallen. Ron and Hermione had lasted right up till the end. And Hagrid, Hagrid had been tore apart by his own beloved Norbit. Everyone he loved has left him and now, now sitting in a room that resembled a muggle insane asylum, padded walls and iron shackles Harry feels beaten.
888
Days past, months maybe. He felt out of place, weary and tired of waking just to start over. Remembering his life. The war. The deaths. Thee utter alone feeling of the room.
He woke up with a pounding headache in a room he didn't recognise. He sat up blinked a few times. Than reached out for the glasses on the side table before remembering he no longer needed them. Not that there was a pair of glasses there in any case.
He noted the white padded walls, how odd, and familiar. He felt the weight around his wrists, hmm? Glasses...
"Oh God.." he choked on a sob. I'm Harry James Potter, Albus is gone, Hagrid is gone, Ron, Hermione, Sirius... the names continued in his mind. Memories continued...then, "Voldemort IS dead." he said threw clenched teeth. A sick satisfaction washing threw him. His life played again in his mind aching thee entire time. Voldemort had fallen the day before Harry's 18th birthday. Tomorrow he would be 18, the day- July 31, 1998, but that day had past right? How many days has past? Months? Was he even 18 any longer, heaven knows he feels eons older.
He knew tomorrow, or a week from now this would happen again. And again. He knew not for how long or why.
888– Chapter 1
"Albus, how long are we going to keep him in there? That boy needs St. Mungo's. We don't know what curse he was hit with, the potions Poppy has are not working. They might even be making it worse." Minerva McGonagall complained as she gazed threw the mirror into the boys room.
"Minerva surly you would like to know who he is before we send him elsewhere. That boy isn't a day over 16 and I for one would like to know how he got inside the wards. Why he was knocking at deaths door and, where all the scares came from. Who is he related to? Who is he running from for that matter? Questions need answered."
"Headmaster it has been four months. Let me go in, my father was a Deatheater, I might be able to identify the curse." Severus inquired. Albus just shook his head. He was the only one who had actually heard the boy during his raving sleep. Curiosity was not the only reason to keep the boy locked away, the boy screamed for Severus' demise. Yelling things like traitor and murderer. Severus never took the mark. Not fallowing in his fathers footsteps, he was considered a traitor among his family. A murderer because he led the Arours to his home resulting in the Dementors kiss. Was this dark haired, green eyed boy related to Severus. A bastard brother perhaps.
888
As Albus sat down to dinner that night in the great hall he pondered the luck the wizarding world had had this time around. A prophecy had been told and proven false, but a child had been sacrificed. Harry James Potter died in his crib just five years ago and than the Lord Voldemort, as Tim Riddle had like to call himself, fell by the hand of young Harris' Mother. Grief stricken the young couple had nearly fallen apart, but had found strength in their life when their second child Harly Marie Potter had been born. Harly was a rowdy two year old with bouncy red curls and brown eyes. Albus would be visiting with the Potters tomorrow December 5th, Friday 1986 for Harlys' third birthday.
888
The natural curiosity in Severus was piqued and he wanted to know who the young man was. The only way to know that is if he can get into the room diagnose the boy himself and than treat him. Answers, if the man wants answers we need that boy awake for more than a few hours and days a weeks. Swiping Poppys' potions Professor Snape replaced them with some of his own. Just because he is the Defence teacher does not mean his Potions Mastery should go to waist.
Nearly two and a half weeks later the boy woke up and stayed awake. Christmas break had started just two days prior and not one student had remained. Lucid for the first time and shouting at the top of his lungs Albus decides to question the boy. Loaded with truth serum, wand and lemon drops with sleeping potion inside he makes his way to the Room of Requirement.
888
Harry blinked rapidly as he sat up. At first he was hazy and slightly confused. The room around him had a air of familiarity and then there it was. All the other day he had woke up here a vague sense of time passing, even while he slept. Despite not having the feeling of imminent danger, Harry was perturbed for having been kept in such a room for so long. Demanding release Harry yelled until a door opened and Albus Dumbledore stepped in.
"Oh Albus thank the Gods. And here I thought I was being held captive by some muggle asylum. Why on earth are you looking at me like that. Get me out of this contraption." After a lengthy pause Harry looked back at the Headmaster. "Albus, what are you waiting for, my wrists are chapped and I wanna get some salve from Poppy.'
"Young man I do not believe I have given you permission to call me by my given name. You will address me as Headmaster, Headmaster Dumbledore, or simply sir. I will be the one asking the questions here." Harry was laughing so hard by the time he finished he missed the look that crossed the Headmasters face.
"Oh by the gods Albus have you finally gone daft in your old age. You have had me calling you Albus in privet since fifth year and after graduation you said 'Harry my boy were family you and I. Formalities out the window hmm...Lemon Drop?'" after a few moments more of laughter Harry suddenly sobered. He blinked and looked to Albus. "I'm dead right? Is this some sort of purgatory and why haven't you moved on. Surly you were not waiting for me."
Albus looked him squarely in the eye and said, "and you call me daft. Boy this is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. No, your not dead, of all the inane things to ask. And you are not the one who will be asking the questions here. First who are you? How did you get threw the wards, how old are you, how on earth did you get so injured?"
To say Harry was shocked was to underestimate the feeling that rocketed threw him. With out much of an option he started from the beginning as he knew it.
888
It had taken a while for Albus to accept the fact that Harry Potter was indeed sitting in front of him but a simple blood test and bone structure examination was enough proof along with the story.
It had taken just as long for Harry to grasp that he was indeed 12 years in the past and that his family was here alive. The story Harry had been told was that the prophecy about The Dark Lord had been false Voldemort had went to kill baby Harry Potter and succeeded but was immediately Cast down by Lily and James Potter. They had lost their son but had also rid the world of Voldemort. The time line was also different then from what Harry was use to. If time had moved at the same paces then Harry would now only be 6 instead of 18, the year 1986.
He couldn't help but think of the possibilities this alternate world/ time held. His parents were alive, Sirius was alive and had never been to Azkaban, and Peter Pettigrew had been kissed for his betrayal and Albus had not died at the hands of Severus Snape. The latter concerning him the most. The one downfall, Harry no longer existed.
Harry sat up in the bed to have a better look around and try to calculate where he was. The room was furnished rather sparsely: the bed he occupied, the table at his right, a chair on his left, and a fire place directly in front of him. The walls were white and there were no windows to speak of. The room was different than the last time he had woke up, and Harry wondered when that was. He had no way to tell what the time was.
He had noticed his wand was also missing.
888
Severus sat in his chair by the fire going over the diagrams of the Chinese Chomping Cabbage from his fifth years. Dreadful really, you would think that by now they would be able to do something right. Exasperated Severus stands and tosses the scrolls on the side table. Striding to a cabinet, hidden on one of his many book shelves, he pulls out a tumbler and pours two fingers of his finest fire whisky. Taught from a young age to always leave the half decent liquor out for guests, not that he ever had any. No one visited their greasy potions professor
A knock at the door signalled to Severus the only person who actually ever stoped by. Downing his drink and massaging his temples in preparation for the headache he knew he would soon have, Severus swung the door open to revel DumbledoreTurning away, his robes billowing behind him, and pouring a three finger glass of Scotch, he turns with a raised eyebrow inquestion for the unannounced visit. He hands the glass to the old man and waits.
"Now Severus don't you look at me like that. Can't a man visit with out an alternative motive?" the only answer he received was a slight scowl and another raised eyebrow. "Come now Severus let us sit by this cozy fire you have going,' he turns to look at the younger man while he makes himself comfortable in the chair he knows Severus prefers. 'Lemon drop?" his eyes dancing in the firelight.
Dropping himself down in the other chair flanking the fireplace he watches the older man pop a candy into his mouth from a pocket hidden with in his robs. Untainted of course. 'One must have their wits about them.' Albus had once said. 'I have the special candies in another pocket.' Waiting while Albus pursued the forgotten drawing, Severus taped his fingers in a get on with it gesture. A full five minutes later: "Ahh cabbage. I remember my mothers. Fine cook she was. But nothing could beat out her rice pudd.." he trailed of when Severus started speaking.
"Albus as you see I have yet to finish grading them. If you could please get on with the reason why you are barging into my corders, drinking,' he eyed the empty bottle Albus had summoned to himself, 'all of my scotch and fiddling with my papers."
Albus set down the glass he had been raising to his lips, cleared his throat and then looked down to the paper in his other hand. "Now Severus, why did you mark off here, it looks fine to me." He handed the papers to Severus. Glancing down briefly he looked back up to see the old sneak once again brining the glass to his mouth. "The boy indicated only one heart."
"So.' He drank deeply from his glass. "Albus there are three. NOW get on with it!!" he said finally losing his temper. Pulling a blue vile of sobriety out of yet another pocket Albus relents.
Severus has an assignment from the order, Go protect a werewolf. As if he didn't have beater things to do with his time.
Grabbing out a small satchel he packs enough for the two weeks he will be gone.