Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters in this fic are owned by J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Enjoy.

Come Undone

Situated near Manchester, the blue-collar town of Cokeworth had grown as dark as the river that ran through it. Unfortunately, with the closing of the mill nearly two decades ago, Cokeworth had fallen into a state of disarray, unable to bring itself back to its glory. Everywhere one looked, one would see the suffering and desperation. Fathers and mothers would go off to work long hours at one of the few places still there, only to find themselves at the end of the week still barely making ends meet. Unless one had turned to the illegal route that was, which was the case for so many families in Cokeworth. Crime paid was the old adage that all the inhabitants knew, no matter their age.

Rundown and abandoned brick houses lined the majority of the broken cobblestone streets, giving the area a sort of somber feel. Had one not known about the mill, one would swear that the town had been the sight of a devastating natural disaster or even been described as where a powerful bomb had gone off. Most of the houses had broken windows now, and some even had doors missing from where desperate people ransacked a neighbor's house.

Every street was the same. Filled with brick houses, all connected to each other. There were no yards. No white picket fences. Visually speaking, nothing about Cokeworth conveyed happiness. It only showed desperation and heartbreak. Something the town had in common with its people.

On the very end of one of these broken cobblestone streets—Spinner's End if one must know—resided a row house that was the only one that had a light on inside. A window was cracked open, but its curtains were of course closed to keep out prying neighbors.

Children ran past the row house, laughing as they played in the street under the street lamps that barely provided any light whatsoever. Several of them would pause every now and then to catch their breath and glance at this house to look at the light left on. However, they'd quickly turn away and run off. Their parents had warned them about that house. They all knew the tragic story of the grumpy man who resided there. About how he had lost his family. Not a single child could recall ever seeing the man, but they all knew enough not to venture near it ever. The man had a dark reputation. One boy stared at the light longer than his peers and watched it go out. He whispered a soft goodnight and returned home.


The following evening, the light turned on like clockwork at precisely eight o'clock as it had done for months now. A shadow passed the window curtain as a gaunt man headed towards a beautiful mahogany desk. His lifeless black eyes stared at the scattered papers he had written his notes on before he glanced at the opened journal that rested off to the side of his notes next to a framed Order of Merlin, first class. His long pale bony fingers soon trailed over the journal's elegant cursive in a loving tender way, a silver wedding band reflecting in the soft light.

"See you didn't eat again, Severus," grunted a blue-eyed man who had walked into the room.

"I'm busy," Severus offhandedly replied, sitting down at the desk.

"Ain't possible one's that busy, son."

"I am." Severus grabbed a quill and dipped it into the inkwell then. He quickly continued to write his notes soon after, his eyes glancing to read the elegant cursive from the journal now and then.

"Yer mum's been asking about you. She's worried."

"Mother's always worried." His quill continued to scratch against the parchment.

"That may be, but she ain't the only one." His father sighed softly. "Shit, son, you can't just stop living yer life now." His father's blue eyes softened slightly when he noticed Severus pause in his writing for half a second. "She wouldn't want you to live like this, and you know it." The tip of the quill suddenly broke from the force Severus had pressed down with onto the parchment.

"Don't," he croaked, drawing in a shaky breath. With a wave of his wand after moments of silence, the quill's tip was once again sharp, and Severus continued writing the rest of his notes.

"You know I'm right, son," his father quietly said a few minutes later.

"It's not about whether you're right or not, Dad."

"Then, what's it about?"

Severus paused once more before he glanced up at his dad, his quill lowering. A part of him wanted to continue to finish her work as he had been doing the past year. Another part knew he had to tell his dad, just so the man would understand. He gently picked the journal up and held it out.

"This was hers, Dad. Every night she would work on her theory. Sit at this very table until she'd later join me. She worked on this every single night. No matter if she was sick, injured, or otherwise occupied. She never deviated from that pattern. Never took a night off. Not even the night of the Final Battle. She'd tell me every now and then about what she was researching. Let me in on any breakthroughs she had."

"And you kept it going, working on it for her after her . . ." his father's voice trailed off.

"Yes." Severus sighed, running a hand through his hair. "She was close."

"You understand that mumbo jumbo stuff she's got in there that well?"

"Not all of it, but most. She talked me through some of this, and the rest her notes helped with." His eyes darted down to the journal. He stared at it for minutes before he drew in a slow breath. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"From what I can tell, her theory's correct. It's possible." He watched his dad's blue eyes narrow even further on him. "Her formula works. I just, I, I'm making sure there are no errors, nothing she didn't take into account."

"And?"

"I've found nothing thus far to dispute her theory." He then sighed again. "Only problem is that it's proven by using a series of hypothetical scenarios."

"What are you saying, son?"

"The only way to know for absolute certainty that she was correct is to use a real scenario."

"You got to be joking."

"I'm not. It's the only way to have a hundred percent certainty of her theory." Severus glanced at his dad and sighed. He knew the older man had no idea what her theory concerned, and Severus had no intention of informing him either. He would not be prevented or swayed from this action.

"Then what, son? What comes after you prove it?"

"Then, I can move on, Dad. This was her life's work, her passion. I just want to prove it for her." He remained neutral under his father's searching gaze. This had to work. There was no other option. He knew instantly at the sound of his dad's sigh that he had just gotten one step closer to his goal.

"All right then. Count me in. What do you need?"


After another month of planning with his father—the older man still not having been fully informed about what the theory concerned, the day was finally upon Severus. He rose early that morning and dressed in his best robes. His stomach felt like it was doing flips currently, but he did his best to ignore it. Nothing would stop him. Not this time.

For the first time in nearly a year, Severus's black eyes showed signs of life. He drew in a slow breath and smiled openly since it was just him in his bedroom. He glanced at a framed photo sitting on his nightstand and pressed a kiss against his forefingers before he touched the glass directly atop of a laughing woman.

"It'll be better this time. For all of us. I give you my word," he said aloud, his eyes hovering on the photo for a moment as his thumb rubbed the underside of a tarnished silver ring. Severus then turned away and walked out of his bedroom. His mind ran through the plan once more, making certain that he had left no possible scenario or variable out that would prevent his success. He found nothing several minutes later. It had all been taken into account. He was ready. More than ready, in fact.

He walked into the neglected sitting room and gave a curt nod to his father who stood in the middle of the room. His father wore a look of apprehension mixed with bewilderment, likely because he knew that Severus wasn't telling him the full story.

"You certainly got all cleaned up for this, didn't you?" his father remarked quietly.

"One must always look his best when he's heading to a place of authority. You taught me that."

"Yeah." His father frowned, rubbing his chin. "You know if this doesn't work, though—"

"It will."

"But if it doesn't—"

"It will. Please. Trust me. It'll work." Severus scolded himself silently as he heard his heart pound against his ribcage in nervousness. Why had his father said that and provided that seed of doubt? He shook his head a moment later. If it didn't work, then they'd be in Azkaban for a very long time. He had been forced to tell his father that since it was rather hard to keep that quaint consequence from the older man, seeing as how his dad was a wizard like him—a little unknown fact in the Wizarding World.

"You got everything?"

"Yes." He had his wand (his true one that was) tucked up into his sleeve, the black journal in his breast pocket above his heart, and the vial with the required potion in his left pocket of his frockcoat.

"All right. Let's go then."

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," Severus softly said.

"Don't thank me yet, son. We ain't exactly proven it quite yet."

Severus snorted.

"Maybe not, but I'm glad you're here, Dad." He caught his father's brows furrow slightly before the man gave a jerky nod. Both men were famous for their avoidance of certain emotional moments. It was something that Severus's mother commented on quite frequently. Though, it wasn't like she was one to talk after all.

"Let's quit lollygagging around here. Ain't exactly got all day, you know?"

Severus gave a short laugh.

"Indeed." They Disapparated a moment later with two identical soft cracks.

When the men reappeared, they were standing in the atrium to the Ministry of Magic. They quickly headed for the lift and got on, riding it down to the Department of Mysteries level. Full of purpose, they continued once the lift stopped and headed down the long corridor. Severus tensed instantly when he noticed a familiar green-eyed man, whom Severus hadn't seen in years, approaching. Harry.

"Professor Snape. I didn't know you were here today. Something I can help you with?" the man asked politely, his eyes darting hesitantly over to Severus's dad.

"No, Potter. I have it all well in hand," Severus replied, easily brushing past Harry.

"Um, well, may I ask where you're going? This level isn't exactly open to visitors, you know?"

Severus stopped for half a moment. Even with his back turned to Harry, he could read the younger wizard like an opened book. He could hear the wheels turning in the Gryffindor's mind about how to remain respectful yet still remain in control of the situation. He slowly turned around and caught Harry's eyes.

"You owe me numerous favors, Mr. Potter," Severus answered dryly with a shrug. "So, I've come to collect them in full today." He caught Harry's surprise instantly.

"Uh, sir?"

"I'm under the impression that the Veil is down here. I'd like to spend a few moments alone with it. Privately, Potter."

"Sir," Harry started to say.

"I risked my life for you, Potter. Many times over the years. I nearly died because of you in the Shrieking Shack, alone. You remember that, don't you, Mr. Potter?" He watched Harry blanch instantly. He then put the final nail in the coffin and spoke the following three words in his usual slow blunt way. "You owe me."

Harry's shoulders sagged in resigning defeat. "Follow me, sir." He slowly walked past Severus and headed further down the long hallway with various opened doors on either side of it.

Severus smirked inwardly when they passed by one of the doors. He could see the rows of shelves inside the room and stopped a moment later. He caught Harry stopping as well and turning around with a confused look on his face.

"Professor?"

"I see the Ministry has finally come back from losing its entire stock of Time Turners because of you," he remarked quietly, motioning towards the room.

"Yeah." Harry guiltily glanced down at his Ministry-issued boots. "Took years to make new ones. Guess it's not as easy as just putting the sand back in them. They say they're about at the level they were before they got destroyed."

Severus nodded slowly. "I see. How good for you that they were able to recover from it." He continued walking forward a moment later to follow Harry again. They stopped in front of the Death room not long after, Harry motioning the wizards inside.

Severus heard the whispers from the Veil instantly. He couldn't differentiate the voices, but every now and then he'd hear his name murmured. He closed his eyes and drew in a slow breath to empty his mind. He turned away a moment later.

"Where's the loo, Potter?" Severus snapped suddenly.

"Down the hall to the right. Are you all right, Professor?"

Glancing at his dad, Severus waved his hand at him to give his dad the sign as he stalked past. He heard his dad suddenly clear his throat, knowing that Tobias would soon distract Harry for him while he headed to the desired room. He smirked inwardly as he walked out into the corridor. He was so close that he could feel it now.

Passing the door to the loo, Severus slipped inside the Time room a moment later. He quietly closed the door behind him and walked further into the room. He passed the majority of the items without as much as a glance at them. He smiled when he stopped in front of the shelves of Time Turners next to the bell jar. He pulled his ebony wand out of his sleeve and chuckled quietly before he made a quick jerk of his hand. With his nonverbal Confringo, his dark eyes watched all the Time Turners suddenly explode violently, the magical sand spraying all around him. He removed the vial from his pocket then, pouring the potion around him in a circle on top of the sand.

The door burst open suddenly, revealing Harry and Tobias. Severus slowly turned around. He caught Harry's wide eyes before the young man glanced at Severus's father.

"What are you two doing? Are you insane?" Harry shouted, drawing his wand.

Severus merely chuckled, biding his time as the potion soaked into the sand. "As I said, Mr. Potter, you owe me." He smirked as the green-eyed man approached. He then glanced at his father, their eyes meeting. I love you, Dad, he thought silently before he glanced away. With a turn of his wrist, he activated the necessary reaction for his potion and the magical sand.

"Happy fixing, son," Tobias called out over the sudden wind that had appeared.

Severus's eyes instantly darted to his father. His dad knew this whole time? He opened his mouth to speak, but the spell took over that exact second. He felt the tingling of magic throughout his body before everything around him just vanished.

"Don't cry, love," whispered a familiar female voice in the darkness. A memory. "It's all right."

Another voice then spoke coldly. "I regret it." Another memory—Voldemort speaking this time.

"A fragment of Voldemort's soul was blasted apart from the whole and latched itself onto the only living soul left in that collapsing building," Dumbledore added, his voice swirling in the darkness.

"Yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understanding of teachers'—er—backgrounds." Umbridge, Severus recognized immediately. He could identify that annoying voice anywhere.

"From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!" cried Fudge, the pompous arse former Minister of Magic.

"Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?" The wolf, Lupin.

"This is the end of Hogwarts." McGonagall's voice drifted in.

"Snape was trying to save me?" Harry's voice, so young and innocent still.

"I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way. I've chosen mine." Lily. His heart ached slightly as her voice swirled around in the darkness.

"Son?" Severus's dad's voice then entered the mix. Yet another one of his memories, an older one. "Hey, it's okay, lad. It ain't the end. Just the beginning, you know?"

"Listen to Mummy, my sweet little boy." His mother. "We are always given a choice, Severus. It's what we do with them that matter, though."

Severus thought hard on his choice as the voices slowly went silent. Every bit of determination and focus was behind him. He drew in slow breaths before he felt a light on his face. His eyes gradually opened to find himself in the Time room still, devoid of the previous destruction however. He looked around and noticed that there was no sand around him to leave behind evidence of his action. Good. His theory was correct there. The potion and sand had burned off during the transport.

"Tempus," he whispered, his nerves on edge. The date of October 31, 1981 hovered in the air in front of him with the time being—he was wasting time. He needed to move if he was to be successful. With a sudden turn, Severus Disapparated from the Time Room at the Ministry. He reappeared a moment later in Godric's Hollow, specifically the nursery in the Potters' residence directly behind one of the world's darkest wizards.

Mere milliseconds after Severus's arrival, Voldemort snarled coldly, "Avada Kedavra!" with his wand pointed at the small baby in the crib. The green jet of light flew from his wand towards the young curious child. Bouncing off the baby boy soon after, the curse headed back to Voldemort before the Killing Curse surrounded the dark wizard. A large boom erupted and violently shook the entire house.

As a result, Severus grabbed the wall to keep himself upright. However, at the sight of something flying from Voldemort, Severus quickly threw his hand out and silently summoned the young boy from the crib. With his arms wrapped tightly around the child, he Disapparated them away. Voldemort's soul would not latch onto the boy this time. There would be no seventh Horcrux.

Reappearing outside the small cottage a moment later, Severus watched a section of the roof explode, a black cloud shooting out of it before disappearing into the night sky. Voldemort was no more. Severus couldn't leave yet, though. He Disapparated back into the nursery with the now crying boy. He kept his eyes focused on the crib and avoided glancing where he knew Lily's lifeless body rested on the floor. He could not save her or James. Their fates were fixed in the timeline unfortunately.

"Hush, Potter," Severus ordered, his eyes never moving from the crib. "Or we won't get that happy ending we deserve." He frowned as an idea came to him. Knowing that Dumbledore would arrive soon to find Lily and James dead, Severus knew he had mere moments left now.

There could be no Harry Potter in this timeline. No Boy-Who-Lived. No Savior of the Wizarding World. No child who would be thrust into an adult world that was full of darkness and required to make the ultimate sacrifice for the Greater Good. No. No. Harry Potter must die in this timeline with his parents. The world would have to create its own idea of how Voldemort was vanquished. Like Severus, this time Harry was not bound to serve others. They would live for themselves for once.

"I apologize for this," he whispered, rubbing the child's back as he held the crying boy against him. "But the world must believe it." He then raised his wand to the boy, resulting in a flash of light.