The Prophecy for Christmas
by Healer Pomfrey
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
11 December
"Severus and Harry, how nice of you to pay me a visit on this fine morning," Dumbledore greeted them, offering them a lemon drop.
Seeing Snape decline wearing a disgusted expression, Harry followed the professor's example, before he listened quietly, when the Potions Master filled in the Headmaster about their plan.
When Snape was finished with his explanation, Dumbledore remained pensive for a moment, before he said slowly, "If one goes back in time, be it with a time turner or other means, one should never change the future. Alas, if you succeed with your plan, you're going to greatly change our present time."
"Indeed," the Potions Master agreed, smirking. "However, in this case, a change of the future can only mean a huge amount of less dead people, magical and non magical, during the last twenty years plus in the near future, as the Dark Lord is definitely not gone yet." He glanced at Harry, before he continued, "I believe that Mr. Potter and I both have a valid interest not only in fulfilling the prophecy but also a very personal wish to save at least one very dear person."
"I know my boy, I know," the Headmaster said, gravely, and explained to Harry, "Your mother was Professor Snape's best friend." He remained thoughtful for an instant, before he conceded, "Very well then, I'll write a letter to my younger self and to Headmaster Dippet and explain everything. I suggest that you travel to the year 1938, when Tom Riddle was a first year, although I'm not sure if it will be easy to friend him, as I remember that he never had any friends, let alone in other Houses."
Harry cleared his throat and threw in, "I think that the Sorting Hat will place me into Slytherin this time, and I'll do my best to try becoming friends with him." Realising the disbelieving looks he received from the professors, he explained that the Hat had originally wanted to put him into the snakes' house.
Dumbledore cast the Sorting Hat a questioning look. "Sopho," he called out to the Hat, "since when do you listen to the students' wishes? I believed that you'd sort them where they belong?"
The Hat haughtily fluffed his brim before he straightened himself and replied, "Well, sometimes, I'm just getting bored. Can you imagine sorting stupid first-years for more than one thousand years?"
"That may be, but I expect to do as you've been told by Professor Gryffindor many years ago," the Headmaster instructed the Hat in a stern voice.
#Stupid filthy piece of cloth,# Fawkes remarked, causing Harry to give the bird an amused look.
"As to your classes, Severus," the Headmaster continued, "I'm going to take turns with Poppy teaching your classes until Christmas. I suppose that by then you'll know if your plan worked or you're going to return here to our time. If you don't mind, I suggest that I'm going to tell everyone that you're both going to spend a few weeks abroad and will eventually return to Hogwarts."
The two younger wizards agreed and left the office, announcing that they'd return after one hour to collect the letters to Professor Dippet and Professor Dumbledore's younger self.
HP
Snape motioned Harry to follow him to his office, where he needed to pack some of his belongings and get ready for the trip. "There are still several points, which we have to discuss that don't necessarily involve the Headmaster," he said on their way to the dungeons.
"Professor, shouldn't I go and inform my friends and pack my luggage as well?" Harry asked, timidly.
"No, we're not going to tell anyone anything," Snape decided, "and as to your belongings, I'm going to send my house-elf to fetch them. I won't have you climb all the way up to Gryffindor. Instead you're going to take a rest."
Harry grudgingly agreed, suddenly feeling exhausted. To his surprise, the professor led him into what seemed to be his private quarters, where he made him lie down on a comfortable looking sofa.
"Mr. Potter, don't go to sleep yet. We need to decide on a cover story first. First of all, we must decide on our names and relationship." He let out a sigh, before he continued, "For example, if we remained in the past, which I suppose we're going to do if our plan works out..." He interrupted himself, giving Harry a questioning look.
"Yes sir," the boy confirmed.
"Very well then, after thirty-three years, my younger self is going to come to Hogwarts, and it would be most peculiar if our names matched exactly. Therefore, I'm going to change my first name to Severin."
"Ahh I understand," Harry threw in, thoughtfully. "There's no problem with my name sir, is there?"
"No," Snape replied, smirking. "However, we must decide what relationship we have. It would probably more convincing if we told everyone that we had lived abroad until now, which would make more sense if we had a parent-child relationship instead of that of a distant uncle and nephew. It's up to you though. If you're not ready to behave as if I was your father, I fully understand, especially considering how I treated you during these last few weeks."
"Sir," Harry replied, smiling weakly, "I never had a father, only a horrible uncle. Therefore I'll be fully all right pretending that you're my father." 'He's going to act as if he was my father?' he thought in surprise. 'I thought he hated me.'
"Very well then, you're my son Harry Snape, and I'm Severin," Snape continued, contentedly. "So far we lived in Ireland, where you attended a small wizarding school and I taught Potions. However, the school closed and we decided to come to Hogwarts. Would that be all right with you?"
"Yes sir," Harry replied, feeling very excited but also confused at the thought of travelling sixty-three years into the past, possibly forever.
He looked up in surprise, when Snape suddenly called out, "Cicero," and a strange creature appeared in front of them, bowing deeply.
"Yes Master Severus and Harry Potter, what can Cicero do?" he queried.
"This is my personal elf, Cicero," the Potions Master introduced the house-elf, before he told the elf about the planned travel and enquired, "Cicero, will you be ready to accompany us?"
"Of course Master Severus," Cicero replied without hesitating.
"Very well, thank you Cicero," Snape said, nodding contentedly, before he explained what Harry and he had just agreed about. "Cicero, please fetch Harry's luggage from his dormitory in Gryffindor. We're going to leave in thirty minutes."
HP
While the Potions Master gathered some of his belongings, knowing that - if necessary - he would be able to return to his private quarters in the future at any time, Harry took a short nap. Too soon for his liking, Snape woke him up.
"Are you ready to travel sixty-three years into the past?" he queried, quirking an eyebrow.
"Yes sir," Harry replied, excitedly.
"I've already retrieved the letters and memories from Professor Dumbledore. Therefore, we can leave right away," the Potions Master informed him, when they left his private quarters and headed straight to the portrait of the Founders.
"Professors," Snape addressed the Founders, who seemed to be completely engrossed in a game that looked like Wizard's Chess but was played with four persons. "We're ready to leave. Will you please let us in and tell us how to arrive in the correct year?"
"That's easy," Rowena Ravenclaw informed them, smiling. "You just have to tell the portrait the proper year. Provided that it's during the time the persons in the painting lived, you'll arrive at this day in the year that you requested.
Ignoring the glare that Helga Hufflepuff shot the two young wizards, Snape and Harry profusely thanked her colleague and strode through the passage behind the Founders' portrait, glancing around the hall in order to find the correct painting, which they found right next to that of Severus and Harry's parents.
"Are you ready?" Snape queried, quirking an eyebrow. Hearing Harry's positive reply, he took the boy's hand, and together they told Tom Riddle's portrait, "1938."
tbc...
Thank you for your kind comments. To those complaining about the shortness of the chapters, please remember that it is a daily page story. See you tomorrow!