Shell Games
A/N - Harry Potter and the Potterverse aren't mine, they are JKR's
Chapter 1 – Crossing the Pond
Severus Snape took his graduation diploma with a stony glare from Professor McGonagall who sniffed in barely concealed derision. It obviously still irked her that Snape had managed to edge James Potter out of the top position and he had topped even Lily's score by 3 points. They'd managed to not have him as valedictorian by giving Lily Evans the honor (she is the Head Girl, so she should be the valedictorian, you surely must understand, Mr Snape?) Truthfully, Severus had been relieved. He wouldn't have been able to keep his vitriol under control and he'd have ended up silenced by the Headmaster before he'd said two sentences anyway.
He left the platform to the unenthusiastic applause of the politer audience and went straight to the dorms. No one would miss him and Sluggy had actually given him the excuse he'd requested, allowing him to leave Hogwarts the moment he graduated. Old Sluggy had hesitated for a moment. Snape had been top of his 7th year and have proven to be beyond even his professor in potions ability. He almost asked Snape if he had thought about being Slughorn's apprentice, perhaps?
The ill-concealed hate in Snape's eyes decided him and he handed over the permission slip and watched as the slender, hunched-shoulder loner left his office. He'd always feared the Snape was following in another old student's footsteps. Tom, however had never been alone, never looked hunted or fearful and never would have missed out on a party where he could network.
Horace sighed and shuffled some papers and later, as he watched the lad bypass the Great Hall and leave through the front doors he felt a pang of regret. Snape might have been a very good resource in the future, if he'd just paid attention. He turned back to the party and waved cheerfully to an old student, forgetting Snape completely.
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Severus reached the gates, all his belongings shrunk and in his pockets. He apparated to Edinburgh, panting a little with the effort. He had sold potions secretly for the past two years, planning his escape. It wasn't much, but it was enough to get an international portkey to America. He waited patiently for the other passengers … a group portkey was cheaper … and endured the prolonged time in transit stoically.
He looked around while the other passengers staggered off and wondered who to approach to ask questions. He hated being in weak position … it never boded well for him. Still, he'd read in the Potions Weekly that potions experts were in short supply 'across the pond'. He hoped that meant they would take on a talented apprentice.
He'd opted to come to Boston, mostly because it was the cheapest portkey available at the time he wished to leave. Severus wandered down the lane housing the magical community. He knew that most magicals in town simply lived in a warded area of town that masked their magic and 'mostly' contained it, although the area around it had a lot of 'electrical problems'.
He entered a small diner and reluctantly parted with the cost of a small meal. He'd entered mostly because he saw a discarded paper in the booth. He quickly reviewed the 'help wanted' ads and was relieved to see there were many, although some were in Salem or New York.
Severus quickly visited all the potions shops in the area, surprised that there were so many. He got several offers after showing them his NEWTs and his 'highest in his year at Hogwarts' papers. He finally chose to start at Sayre's Potions and Tea Shop, mostly because the position came with room and board.
In spite of the cozy name, the place was enormous in comparison to its British equivalent. It took up an area the size of a larger muggle warehouse. The storefront was big enough to have its own floo and was held on two big floors. A pair of French doors at one end led into a 'tea shop' that could seat nearly 100 and seemed to always be full.
Severus was relegated to the back, to his relief and quickly gained his Mastery and the eye of one of Soren's numerous daughters, Bethany. Severus had suspected that with their light blond hair, that they might be related to the Malfoy's, but was relieved to learn that they weren't. Instead, they spoke of a 'very distant cousin, Xenophilius Lovegood'. Remembering a Lovegood or two in school, he hoped they were better grounded.
Bethany's persistent pursuit was flattering and drove some of pain of losing Lily away, not that she'd ever really been his, he was forced to finally admit. Time, distance and being constantly busy did the rest and Bethany finally prevailed and a slightly bewildered Severus found himself walking down the aisle for his wedding.
The Sayre's giant Potions & Tea shop was rivaled in size by the family's home. Severus and Bethany were soon ensconced in a large apartment and sharing the family house elves. They could always leave the apartment and join the family's communal area or wander the large park – like grounds and gardens. It was a challenge for Severus to wrap his mind around … being a part of a large family and loved by a pretty girl.
Even a year later he tended to 'hole up' like a hermit, as Bethany called it. He would tense and leave a room when voices were raised, hating to get involved in a conflict. He knew he tended to over-react to any confrontations or arguments and avoided them when he could. He was still inclined to make himself 'invisible' when in a room full of Bethany's relatives, the habit of trying to not draw attention to avoid a hexing by the marauders was a habit he would not get over right away.
Severus and Bethany were elated to find out the Bethany was pregnant and even happier when they learned it was to be twins. One of the three bedrooms in their apartment was soon being turned into a toy-infested horror in a rainbow of colors. Still, Bethany was happy and that was all Severus wanted.
Then, a death 'over in Britain' among the Lovegoods … the 'Head of the family' made it necessary for Bethany's mother, Circe … maiden name Lovegood … to attend the funeral. Severus, and therefore Bethany were drafted into accompanying her, as Severus was the one with the most experience in navigating wizarding Britain.
Severus glared at his mirror and tried to give himself a pep talk the day they were to leave. The mirror kept throwing 'helpful' sayings at him as well and he was close to hexing it silent again. Bethany had never really tried to change his appearance to any great degree, his nose was still 'an Olympic ski jump' but was no longer hooked. There was a list of 'rules' though and they were next to the mirror.
"No teeth brushing = no kissing"
"Can't run my fingers through your hair if it isn't washed after potion-making"
"Must wear colors once a week … you promised"
He'd objected at first, and then Bethany had silently given him a short muggle article about the signs of severe depression. Lack of care of one's appearance was near the top of the list. He found that taking better care of himself did help his self-image as well a standing straight.
Still, the thought of facing all those people was daunting. The Lovegoods were purebloods and therefore related to most of the people he'd most like to avoid. He looked over at Bethany. The hateful things some of them would likely say terrified him. What if she became ashamed of him? The very thought of Bethany looking at him the way Lily finally had made him want to sick up.
As Severus and Bethany took hold of the portkey with Circe, Bethany rubbed her belly and smiled at him. "It will be fine Severus, the babies will be here at the end of July and all will be well." Severus relaxed and managed a smile.
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James and Lily Potter landed with the portkey and entered the funeral parlor. It was spelled extra-large as the Lovegoods were expecting a crowd for a 'Head of House' funeral. The solicitor would be taking the time to inform those that were mentioned in the will to be at the reading and let them know where and when.
Lily rubbed her very pregnant belly and sighed. She'd be glad when this was over, especially now that Albus had told them about the prophecy. She, personally, didn't believe a word of it. Divination was a load of hooey … especially anything predicted by Sybil 'nutjob' Trelawney. Albus, though, had shaken his head and said that the point was that Voldemort believed it and would therefore hunt them down.
Lily smiled at the memory of her response, "I'll just have to make sure to cross my legs and refuse to let him out until August 1st." Albus had looked horrified.
They made it through the funeral with only a few snubs from the Malfoy's and some of their friends. Then James and Lily were shocked to see Severus Snape and pair of blonds – one of them as pregnant as Lily.
James cringed at the sight of his old schoolmate. He'd joined Auror academy along with the Order of the Phoenix straight out of Hogwarts. Sirius had opted to only join the Order. The first classes had been a challenge, especially psychology. Why did they need to get inside a dark wizard's head? Just hex the culprit and bring him to justice.
He'd finally understood that they needed to outthink their quarry and Scrimgeour was insistent that they could turn wizards and witches from a dark path if they really tried. James had nearly laughed out loud, but he'd found that his fellow trainees didn't find him all that amusing since only two were old classmates. A few others were from a year or two ahead of him.
Then the lecture about bullies had started. "If you want to find next year's violent criminals … just look in the schoolyard for the bullies that are about to graduate …" the lecture had started. As the talk progressed former Hogwarts students started looking over at him and a he overheard a few muttering 'sounds just like the marauders'.
He'd been outraged that they would consider them bullies. Besides, Snivellus had deserved it. Then the description of 'targets' of bullies had made him want to sink into his seat. " … loners, those that stick out because of poverty or being 'ugly', those that are 'too smart'…" The list went on, but even James couldn't deny that Snape had fit the bill.
He'd not dared talk to Lily about the lecture, and certainly couldn't mention it to Sirius. Sirius would have been angry that he'd even listened to the lecture, let alone take it seriously. But James couldn't un-hear the lecture and over time he'd had to admit that maybe Severus had simply been convenient target and had not deserved the treatment.
Now he was faced with his victim and didn't know how to handle it. He was just grateful that Sirius had given the funeral a miss. He shuddered at the thought of how that would have gone.
Eventually, in spite of his efforts, they came face to face. Snape managed a cool, "Mr Potter" in acknowledgement and James replied, "Mr Snape" with a nod. Lily whispered, "Severus …" and then faltered to a stop.
Severus, only wishing to get back to their hotel, finally introduced "My mother-in-law, Circe Sayre nee Lovegood and my wife, Bethany Snape." The ladies all nodded politely and Severus firmly steered them away to say their farewells to their host.
To Severus' dismay Circe was handed an envelope … they would have to stay for the reading of the will.
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Lily stomped into the living room, emotions in a turmoil. James followed her, trying to sooth her. "Calm down, Lily, why does seeing him upset you so?"
Lily, unable to really put words to her anger settled for, "Maybe you don't recall him calling me a mudblood, but I certainly do." That was only part of it, though. She had missed her friend and had hoped to eventually win him over to the light, but he'd disappeared and listening to how Sirius and Peter had talked, she knew they would have driven him away anyhow. Still, suddenly seeing him … with a wife and looking rather well-off had startled her.
Sirius always insisted that 'Snivellus' was hidden away at some Death Eater camp, making potions for them. Oddly, James never spoke of Severus since he'd started Auror training. Now he simply sat and looked at her rather tiredly.
"You know he only said that because he'd been pushed too far, Lily." James said pensively. "He likely heard that word a hundred times an hour in the Slytherin common room and it wasn't like he could avoid being there. He was hung upside down with his pants showing in front of a girl he admired. He shouldn't have said it, but it was a rather extreme situation for him."
Lily looked at James in shock. He was defending Severus?! "Do you think he joined the Death Eaters like Sirius says?" She asked in a small voice.
James shook his head. "No, I've never heard his name mentioned. I don't know where he's been, but I doubt it was a Death Eater camp."
Lily sat next to James and took his hand. James squeezed her hand in comfort and then kissed it softly. "It looked to me like he's done pretty well. I don't think you need to worry for him." Lily sniffed and squeezed his hand in return.
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Severus sat next to his wife and winced as she tried to squeeze his fingers off. He hoped he didn't have nerve damage to his hand after this. The damn solicitor hand not done the reading for over two weeks and then they'd had to sift through the vaults looking for the potion books she'd been left, a couple of family rings and bracelets and some other oddments.
By then the midwives had said a portkey would be very unwise and so here they were, at St Mungo's instead of at home in the Boston hospital with people they knew.
Finally Bethany yelled out a colorful curse he was shocked that she knew and the midwife chirped, here's your girl! A few more pushes and his son was being born.
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In a nearby room Lily was also giving a last push as July 31st was coming to an end. Albus was nearby anxiously awaiting the child's birth. Neville Longbottom had also come into the world a couple days before. He could be the one, and Frank was fairly compliant but Alice was less so, not to mention that Augusta simply didn't listen to him at all.
No, the Potter boy … they were sure it was a boy … would have to be the child of Prophecy. James and Lily both followed him with no problem. He would need their compliance to make all of this work. At last, just ½ hour before July's end, the Potter heir was born. To his horror, he could see that the child was dead.
The healer saw this as well, but before she could say anything, Albus whipped out his watch and opened the lid. Everything in the room halted … time stopped and Albus thought swiftly. The watch had been a gift from Flamel. Flamel had tinkered with time-turners and watches for a few decades or maybe a century. This was a watch that would stop time … but only for a few minutes and would only work three times.
Flamel had used it once and Albus had used it in his battle with Grindelwald. Gellert had destroyed Albus' wand with some curse Albus hadn't known. Albus in desperation had stopped time and run up and grabbed the Hallow from Gellert. Albus smirked, Gellert was probably still trying to figure out how he'd been beaten.
Now, with his final use he needed to make the prophecy work. He plucked the dead child from the healer and left the room, he looked into a nearby room and sighed in relief. Another child was being born … two actually. Ah, Snape, he glanced at the wizard's bare arms. Not a Death Eater after all, then.
The child in the midwife's hand was a boy, the one in Circe's arms was a girl. He quickly exchanged the two boys and glanced at Bethany apologetically. But, she still would have the girl and her son would be destined for great things. He left the room without a backward glance.
Albus quickly gathered a potion from the nearby cart and added a hair from James and one from Lily, cast a spell or two and quickly fed it to the crying infant. It was a haphazard adoption potion and it only worked because the child had just been born, but it would hold up to most legacy spells. The potion was usually for parents who had needed to use a surrogate to have their child, but it would work okay this this as well.
The switch was made and with another quick spell the healer forgot the child was dead and Albus closed the lid of the watch with satisfaction. He'd been saving that final use, and it had all worked out.
He smiled as James and Lily made much of their new son, Harry James Potter.
Things weren't going so well for Bethany. The sudden removal of her son's magic for her with the potion upset an already delicate scenario. The shock of the midwife sadly declaring their son dead upset it further. In a matter of minutes Bethany's magic ran out and then her life.
Severus was devastated and left for Boston with a daughter and a broken heart. The Sayre's gathered around him and gave their support, but Severus now hated Britain even more than he had before.
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A/N – not getting anywhere with Redoing it Voldemort style, so I decided to work on this one a little. Let me know what you think.