A/N: I do not own Harry Potter
Sorry for the late posting here, this has been a hard chapter, I am trying to fix the errors and plot holes that were there before. It's a lot of exposition, and finding solutions to problems I never realised I would have with time travel! D:
Chapter 4 - The Paradox
The room was silent, and Severus was staring at the large ornate Time-Turner on the floor. Harry, who was still in his father's arms, looked sheepish. He looked at his mother, Ron, Hermione and even Professor Dumbledore. No one said a thing.
"How did you get a Time-Turner?" Severus asked, breaking a long silence.
Harry was shocked, and didn't know what to say and as such jumped into what he knew best – a good story.
"Well, you see, the thing is," his rambling began. "It's not actually a Time-Turner. I mean I'm eleven, where would I even get a Time-Turner? In fact, on an even better note, what is a Time-Turner?"
"Indeed. So, where did you get the 'not actually a Time-Turner'?" his father asked.
"It's a long story, and honestly I know you have much better things to be getting on with, right Ron?"
Ron made a move to get up, apparently thinking of leaving with Harry. "Yea, we can head out and give you and Professor Dumbledore some time," Ron continued.
"Well, I have time, and I could do with a good story," Severus said plainly. His eyes narrowed as he pulled Harry back on to the sofa, standing over him waiting, with his arms folded.
"See, I don't want certain people to find out we took it," Harry said. He tried to appear calm and collected while 'fake-wincing' at his dad. "Let's just say, certain parties involved might be upset if they found out Ron and I are the ones that took it."
"Oh, and who did you and Ron take this 'Not a Time-Turner' from?" he smirked.
"I don't know if I can trust you," Harry smiled. He attempted to remove himself from his father's grasp and reached for the Time-Turner. "I'll just get that, and Ron and I can go and return it, okay. No harm, no foul!"
"No, you don't," Severus said, as he yanked Harry back.
"Ron and I have to get rid of it, immediately. I'm sorry Dad, but I must insist that you unhand me," Harry attempted to come across as genuinely cross, yet calm and pretty much like he wasn't hiding a huge secret. Harry did not succeed.
"Albus, why does my son have a Time-Turner?" Severus asked sternly.
"Dad," Harry laughed. "It's not a Time-Turner, it's a really fancy – egg-timer!" Though there was far more tension in his voice now, after all, Severus wasn't buying the tale. He was so glad that they had obliviated Albus.
"Severus, it is a long and complicated story," Albus replied. He motioned for Severus to take a seat. "It's also the reason for my visit this morning. I confess, I had planned on keeping you in the dark, mainly as this was something I promised to Miss Granger here. She was anxious about my infecting timelines."
"What does this have to do with a complete stranger you brought into our home?" Severus asked, his voice rose to a new level of stern.
Albus remained calm and poised as he confirmed that the object was, in fact, a powerful, magical time-turning device. Ron, Harry and Hermione gaped at the man, shocked. How could he possibly remember all that?
"If you're going to speak to Dumbledore, can Ron and me go to Hogsmeade?" Harry asked half-heartedly. "We could take what's her name, Her-mee-own? Did I say that right?" Harry desperately clung to the idea that he could still cover the truth.
"Fat chance, sit down." It was his mother that had spoken, her face now quite cross.
Harry looked into her eyes and saw something more; there was a deep worry in those emerald depths, what had happened that had caused her son to have such an object? Harry, with his new appreciation for his parents, couldn't bear to cause more anxiety. He sat down with no further fuss.
Severus looked at Albus with a hardened expression and motioned for him to continue. Albus waved his wand elegantly and provided the room with beverages something that Severus ignored. "Albus, stop wasting my time," Severus demanded.
"Of course. I would like to clarify that I do not know how Harry initially came by the Time-Turner, but I do know that I didn't help him to get it. I know what he changed, as he gave me a letter some forty-nine years ago."
Severus' eyes widened at this, and Lily rolled her eyes. Clearly, one believed the tale and was thrown off by what had taken place, and the other was merely struck by the sheer absurdity of it all.
"Severus, are you sure you don't want a spot of tea? This could take a while," Albus suggested. Severus shook his head stiffly and motioned for him to continue. "Harry had obtained the Time-Turner sometime after my death, and as such, there is only so much I can tell you."
"But Professor!" Hermione interjected, outraged. "I obliviated you, and I know that it worked!"
"Ah yes. Miss Granger, I must introduce you to the concept of a Paradox. This is an object that has existed in more than one timeline, and such an item can aid an individual to remember their own memories in an alternate timeline, even if that timeline has been destroyed."
"You planned it! When I demanded that I would obliviate you!" she exclaimed.
"No!" Lily shouted. "They're barely eleven, what you are proposing is preposterous. I demand the truth now. Albus, this is my son, stop – scheming."
"Lily, I just ask that you listen to the entire of my explanation, then you may scold me as much as you wish. I dare say you shall want to." Albus leaned back in his chair, waiting for permission to continue.
"Well, go on," Severus said abruptly, demanding information.
"Indeed, it was just a theory - the paradox - until I touched the letter, and then it only worked after I had convinced Headmaster Dippet that Tom was the one that opened the Chamber of Secrets. The next time I touched it, I remembered everything else that Tom may have done if left unchecked. I remembered those that had been hurt, and I have dedicated my life to providing those people with better lives than they had before. I have also made a concerted effort not to infect timelines anymore than needed," Albus explained smiling at Hermione.
"So, this 'Paradox', it could help me understand Harry's – situation?" Severus asked.
Albus nodded gravely. The only response he had. Hermione looked at the Professor and saw the same man that she had always looked up to. He had been trustworthy all along, he was the same unconventional hero as before. He was all too willing to break the rules, as long as it was right.
"Secondly, Tom who?" Severus asked.
"Tom Riddle. You know the story about the Slytherin boy who set a Basilisk lose in the castle to attack Muggle-borns?" Albus asked.
"That actually happened?" Lily gasped.
"Yes, and before your son – well, when he was older anyway – got his hands on a Time-Turner, Tom Riddle had done so much more," Albus replied gravely.
"What do you mean; 'when he was older?'" Severus eyed Dumbledore, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"When Harry arrived in my office, he was seventeen." Albus was seemingly unconcerned by Severus' threat.
"If he arrived at seventeen, how is it that he is eleven now? As far as I am aware, Time-Turners don't affect the age of the user."
"No, they don't. However, Iuventae Capturam does," Albus added casually.
"What?" Severus asked as his nostrils flared.
"Surely you have heard of the potion? You are the best Potions Master that Hogwarts has seen in some time," Albus continued lightly.
"Oh yes! I have heard of it. It's an illegal potion, illegal because of the effects that it can have on those that take it! And you just gave it to my son?" Severus' arms waved wildly, his harsh gaze focused on the aged wizard who still sat quite at ease in the armchair across from him.
"Yes. I thought long and hard about it-"
"-You didn't think that long," Ron interrupted.
"Yes, well my mind works faster than the average wizards." Albus smiled. "Hearing Harry's story, I believed that he deserved to have a second chance. I also thought considering what they had gone through – Harry especially – they would be able to handle the effects of the potion. Particularly if I made sure they had the support that they needed."
"Really? The effects of the Pennywort alone are dangerous, and let's not forget that Essence of Wormwood is also included!" Severus seethed as he spoke. "What it could do to his mind, and then you add extensive time-travel to the mix!"
"I was well aware of what it could do; however, I felt Harry deserved it."
"Does he kill Fawkes in the future? Or maybe he performed the Cruciatus Curse solely on your bollocks!" Snape retorted sarcastically.
"Sev!" Lily cut in. "Firstly, children!" She motioned to the children in the room. "Secondly, Albus is a smart man. I would like to hear what was so bad that he thought this was the answer." Lily seemed to be being gentle, but her eyes told a different story, she looked at Albus, demanding more than an adequate explanation. Lily's hand clasped her husbands, and he turned to face her.
"You know what it does, how can you say that?" he asked. "Pennywort, especially the amount required for that potion, can cause extreme paranoia. The combination of that with Essence of Wormwood would have a drastic influence over how Harry's mind works, particularly in the regulation of emotions. The combination is designed to affect the brain chemistry so that someone's mental age changes as well, but it is unpredictable! It can leave lasting damage, not to mention the torture it is to live through!" Severus finally finished his rant.
Lily looked at him, her eyes reflecting the same fear that was in Severus' words. "I need to know what happened." She then turned to Albus. "I want to know what happened, everything. What justifies this?" Lily asked, then sat down and pulled her husband with her, her other arm pulling Harry close.
"Fine. Albus can explain." Severus, not content just being in her embrace, pulled both his wife and child close to him also.
Hermione watched curiously, though Ron seemed more comfortable with 'The Snapes', though he too watched with interest at the startling comparison to what he had known before.
"Tom Riddle fashioned a new name for himself; Lord Voldemort."
Severus sniggered at the name.
"Severus, you were afraid – as were most of the wizarding world – to even speak that name." Albus studied the incredulous look on Severus' face. "Now, I am sure that can help you understand the kind of wizard he was?"
Severus nodded and pulled Harry into his arms, along with Lily. Harry was practically on his father's knee now, but he did nothing to fight it.
"When Harry was only eighteen-months-old, Tom tried to kill Harry. Lily, you refused to move, but for one reason or another, he didn't want to kill you, but you forced his hand. He killed Lily, then he tried to kill Harry."
Severus was floored, his hand covered his mouth, and his expression was shock and horror. Lily was close to tears, her arms wrapping tightly around Harry. She shook her head the entire time, disbelieving that their family could incur the wrath of one wizard. What had Harry done to deserve that?
"Harry survived, and the curse backfired all but destroying Tom Riddle. This was the end of the First Wizarding War, and Harry was sent to live with your sister-"
"-Petunia Dursley," Severus finished the sentence. "Why on earth would we send him there? Why didn't he stay with me? Surely if I were around that wouldn't have been the last option."
"As I said, Tom was all but destroyed. Lily's sacrifice had saved Harry's life, and so it was imperative – for his own protection – that he lived with someone that shared her blood."
"How did they treat him?" Severus asked, his hand gently carding through Harry's hair. "Harry, how did they treat you? I am slightly concerned you talked about being locked in a cupboard earlier, and being fed through a cat-flap!"
"Okay, I guess," he said fidgeting and wriggling around uneasily.
"They did not treat him 'okay'," Hermione interrupted. "They treated him horribly, he lived in a cupboard under the stairs until he got his first Hogwarts Letter!"
"Hermione!" Harry shouted. "That isn't your secret to tell!"
"Considering the side effects of the Potion that Professor Dumbledore gave us, I think they need to know what they are dealing with." Hermione crossed her arms and stared Harry down.
"You can't tell me that you believe this? Surely not! This will turn out to be some elaborate joke–?" Lily asked Severus.
"Legilimens," was all Severus would say.
Lily's expression then became more serious, like her last hope that this was a ridiculous hoax faded away. "Albus, what happened after? I mean if Petunia was so horrible, why didn't Severus take him away? Was Severus killed too?"
Albus leant forward, he looked almost anxious for the first time. "Severus was not killed, and he was not able to be a part of Harry's younger life. Severus had no idea how Harry was treated by Petunia."
"Why? Surely if I were around it would be to protect Harry? I can understand why he wasn't with me if Petunia was able to keep him far safer, but surely I saw my own son all the time! Surely I was there to make sure he was safe and loved. I would never leave Harry alone."
"Severus, you led a very complex life," Albus began.
"I, what?" he asked incredulously. "So complex I had no contact with my own son?"
"I think you should let me tell you more about your life in that time. You were my most trusted ally in a twenty-year war, but you were also a spy. Harry – as far as I am aware – never knew of your true allegiance. You worked as a spy in the first war for me, and throughout the times of peace, because we knew he would return, you maintained a pretence. Your entire life was focused on keeping Harry safe, but the best way you could do that was from a distance."
"What do you mean, 'from a distance'?" Severus asked.
"You maintained the guise of working for the one that killed Lily and so many others. Everything you did for Harry was done in secret, as far as I know, he never found out about anything you did for him."
"Okay, and that was simply how it had to be? But surely I could ensure everything went well for Harry, even if he didn't know, ensure he was safe and happy?"
"Severus, Harry was happier at Hogwarts," Albus spoke, then pausing as though thinking exactly how to phrase the rest of his sentence.
"But? Albus, you must tell us, if what you have said is true about the Time-Turner, we have to know how we can help Harry."
"There were extraordinary events in Harry's academic career at Hogwarts. Harry in his first year found out about a plot to steal a 'philosophers stone' from Hogwarts, one teacher tried to kill Harry, and Harry, along with Ron and Hermione put themselves in extraordinary danger trying to take it before the one that wanted to steal it. Someone that had been possessed by the very wizard that killed his p– mother," Albus said, still calm, though his eyes were sorrowful.
"In his second year, Hermione was petrified when the Chamber of Secrets was opened again. Ron and Harry found the chamber, and there they destroyed a Horcrux, which was the way that Tom Riddle had survived."
"My son knows about Horcruxes? He found out about Horcruxes at the age of twelve?" Severus demanded.
"What's a Horcrux?" Lily asked.
"It's a kind of dark magic, teaching it at Hogwarts is forbidden," Severus began. "When I covered Defence a few years ago, I found the old books from the Restricted Section, they were locked away."
"To create a Horcrux, you have to split your soul and store a section of it in an object. This means if your body is destroyed, you live on as part of your soul is earth-bound still. You have to commit murder to split your soul, but even after this is done, there is a ritual you must perform. It is not something I think anyone would wish to know about." Hermione sat dignified, and all knowing, just as they remembered her. Despite the changes; looking less looked after than she had before – her clothes barely fitting and fairly ragged – she was still the same Hermione, and this much was clear to Ron and Harry.
"Does it not bother you, Albus, that such young children know about this?" Lily asked.
"They only found out in Harry's sixth year."
"Oh! Well that's alright then!" Severus responded sarcastically.
"This was when I knew I would have to die,Severus! Harry would have to continue what I had started. Tom Riddle intentionally split his soul seven ways, though he didn't know he had accidentally created one inside Harry when he had tried to kill him."
"But that means to destroy Tom Riddle, you would have to kill Harry? There is no way to destroy a Horcrux and have Harry live, surely? How did he survive?"
"I do not know, but I did all I could to ensure that Harry had the best possible chance of survival," Albus replied. "I ensured that he had all three of the Deathly Hallows in his possession by the time he would end up being killed by Tom – from what I gather, this worked. I also gave instructions to my brother, Aberforth, that Harry, Ron and Hermione should be dosed with Felix Felicis should they return to Hogwarts."
"So, my son had a terrible life, he was abused by his relatives, did not know his father. He was tortured or in life-threatening situations every single year at Hogwarts, and had to die for the Wizarding World?" Severus asked. "Did I miss anything?"
"Like I said, I thought Harry deserved a second chance. A chance with a mother and a father, a chance at a happier life."
"And you weren't going to tell us? How exactly did you think Harry would handle all of this without his parents knowing?" Lily asked, her tone scolding Albus.
"I planned to make sure they were okay, myself." Albus sat up now, pouring another cup of tea.
"No, he's my son, and it's my responsibility to make sure that he is cared for, that his well being is looked after. I do not trust you with that, particularly after hearing this tale," Severus replied, his voice cutting.
"Severus, what was I supposed to do? Save Harry but leave the rest of the Wizarding World to die? It was for the greater good!" Albus replied.
"I do believe that's how Gellert Grindelwald justified his actions as well!" Lily replied.
"Severus, you were in agreement with me," Albus replied. "I suppose you had to be in that world."
"No, he didn't!" Harry interrupted. "I saw when you told him, it was in his memories that he gave me just before he died, so he could tell me that I had to die. He shouted at you, said you had 'raised me like a pig for slaughter.'"
"So, you did know the truth in the end?" Severus smiled. "You knew I cared for you, that I wanted the best for you!"
Harry swallowed, knowing he would now have to tell the 'truth,' and that it would surely devastate Severus, or worse, cause him to abandon Harry altogether. "You – erm – you weren't my dad there," Harry spoke nervously, his eyes fixed on a spot on the floor.
A/N: Thanks for reading, please review! Also if you read my story 'The Grudge' the last chapter is coming soon – would you have a sequel? There is a poll on my profile.