What if Lily was not muggleborn
by Teddylonglong
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not making any profit by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing
So far, the first-year quartet did not come into much contact with Quidditch. The match between Gryffindor and Slytherin had taken place the previous weekend, and the quartet had been sitting with the Slytherins, cheering when the match ended with a victory for Slytherin. They knew that there was a Quidditch team in Ravenclaw as well, which practised regularly, however, due to their almost constant absence from the common room, they were not aware of the details.
One evening, however, they overheard Ben, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, tell his team in an upset voice that the Seeker had taken ill and that they urgently needed someone to play Seeker.
"Why don't you ask Harry?" Susan spoke up, smiling. "He's the best Seeker I can imagine."
"Really?" Ben asked, looking straight at Harry.
Harry shrugged. "Well, I love to play Seeker," he admitted, "but as far as I know, first-years aren't allowed to play on the team."
"I'll speak with Professor Flitwick," Ben decided and hurried towards the head table only to return an instant later.
"It's all set. You may play tomorrow," he announced. "Would you mind practising with the team for a while after dinner?"
Harry agreed and spent the two hours after dinner playing Quidditch with the Ravenclaw team, catching the Snitch what seemed to be about a dozen times.
'Thank Merlin that Dad donated whole sets of brooms to Hogwarts,' Harry thought, 'even if they're still his first model. I wouldn't know how to fly so well on a different broom.'
When Ben ended the practice and called the players down, he patted Harry on the back and said, "Consider yourself on the team from next year onwards. You're the best Seeker we've ever had."
"Thanks," Harry replied, feeling very much self-conscious at the unexpected praise. "I just hope I'll be able to catch the Snitch in the match tomorrow."
"See to it," the captain said, smirking.
HP
Regulus was sitting in the teachers' stand together with Severus, inwardly chuckling at the strange looks that Severus received from his colleagues after introducing him as his friend Reggie. He was wearing a ring, which Lily had charmed for him so that everyone aware of who he was could properly see him, while no one unaware of his identity would be able to recognise him.
The two wizards, who had become good friends over the last couple of years, were sitting right behind Quirinus Quirrell, and Regulus used the opportunity to cast a couple of wandless spells at the other wizard.
'There are indeed two identities,' Regulus realised in surprise. 'He definitely seems to be possessed, but is that by the Dark Lord? How can I be sure that's him?' He pondered the matter, while he observed his surrogate nephew cruise the air above the Quidditch pitch in search for the Golden Snitch.
All of a sudden, he noticed that Harry's broom acted up strangely. Severus seemed to have realised the same and began to cast what seemed to be a counter curse. Regulus' eyes widened, as realisation set in. From diagonally behind Quirrell, he could see that the man was also moving his lips.
'Quirrell is cursing Harry,' he realised, feverishly pondering what to do. In lack of a better idea, he unobtrusively cast a strong sleeping spell at the wizard in front of him, making him slump in his seat, fast asleep. At the same time, Harry regained control of his broom, and the match continued as if nothing had happened.
Regulus quickly sent a Patronus to Amelia, instructing her to come to the Hogwarts grounds, teachers' stand, to take Quirinus Quirrell into custody.
As expected, it merely took the witch five minutes to approach him, as she had been enjoying her Saturday at home together with the family. She gave him a questioning look.
"Just sit down until the match is over," Regulus whispered to her, making her sit in the empty seat next to him and slowly pulling his Unspeakable robes out of his robe pocket, ready to cover himself, as soon as it would be time to act.
As if sensing that it was the right time to end the game, Harry chose that moment to catch the Snitch, and Madam Hooch shouted for everyone to hear, "Harry Potter has caught the Snitch. Ravenclaw wins."
HP
Harry landed on the ground, feeling relieved, happy and somewhat proud to have been able to help his Quidditch team win the match. Before he knew what happened, he felt himself being pulled into a bear hug by Susan and Hermione. Neville, Daphne and Tracey were standing next to them, observing the group hug in apparent amusement.
"Well done, Harry," Neville told him.
"Yes, that was a great catch," Daphne added, only to ask in apparent concern, "What happened to your broom during the match?"
"Right, we saw that, too. Harry, what happened?" Susan enquired, giving him a worried look.
Harry shrugged. "Someone must have jinxed my broom. But then, all of a sudden, it stopped. I don't know what that was, but I'm glad that it stopped when it did," he admitted, sheepishly.
"How strange," Hermione replied, pensively. "But who in the world would jinx your broom? You don't have any enemies, do you?"
'Voldemort.' The name popped up at the forefront of his mind; however, he did not voice it, not wanting his family and friends to worry about him.
"Could it have been Professor Quirrell?" Daphne suddenly asked. "I just saw that Mrs. Black-Bones was in the teachers' stands together with one of the Unspeakables, and they took Quirrell with them."
"What?" Harry blurted out in shock.
"Oh, but that may be," Susan commented. "Remember what Professor Snape told us on Halloween." Seeing Daphne and Tracey cast her questioning looks, she let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, but we can't tell you that, as it's not our secret."
"My only enemy is Voldemort AKA the Dark Lord," Harry said in a small voice, causing the two Slytherin girls to gasp.
Before the girls could even think of a response though, the small group was surrounded by the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, and Harry felt himself being dragged to the common room.
"Well, we can spend some time in the common room for once I suppose," Susan stated, when the quartet occupied one of the comfortable sofas in front of the fireplace.
"You know, your house is supposed to be your family," one of the fifth-year prefects, Mary, addressed them, "so it might be good to spend one or the other evening at home."
"Sorry, but three of us are student assistants," Susan informed the older witch, "and we assist our professors on most evenings."
"Apart from that, it should be our choice to decide whom to spend time with," Neville added in a firm voice.
"I, for example," Harry spoke up, "would like to spend time together with some of the Slytherins; however, there's no way we can bring them into the common room with us."
"No, because no one else would want them here," Mary replied in a firm voice. "Just know that the Ravenclaws don't like your constant absence. We usually help each other with homework and other things here."
"So do we, wherever we choose to study," Hermione replied, smiling.
"Well, this party is not exactly what I expected," Harry then decided. "Let's leave."
"Don't listen to Mary," one of the older students told the quartet, when they were on their way out of the common room. "She's a bitch."
"Thanks," Harry replied, nodding his appreciation. Only when they were outside the portrait hole, did he ask, "Who was that?"
"I think her name is Cho," Hermione informed him. "She must be in second or third year."
"Oh right," Neville spoke up. "Shall we go home then?"
Hermione glanced at her wrist watch. "It's thirty minutes before dinner. Shouldn't we attend dinner in the Great Hall and then go home?"
"Yes, that's less obvious," Susan agreed and suggested roaming the castle in their cat forms for a while.
HP
At dinner the same evening, the headmaster announced that Professor Quirrell unfortunately had an accident and that Defence Against the Dark Arts classes would be cancelled for the time being.
'Until he finds some equally incompetent replacement,' Lily thought, regretting that she had come to attend dinner instead of eating together with her enlarged family to hear from Amelia and Regulus what had happened first hand.
'Oh well, I still need to set an example for the children,' she thought, knowing that it was important for the trio respectively quartet to attend dinner in the Great Hall.
HP
Amelia and Regulus took Quirrell right into a warded room within the Department of Magical Mysteries. Quickly casting another sleeping spell at the prisoner and in quick succession a silencing charm around themselves, Regulus informed Amelia of his earlier findings. "I believe that he's possessed, but I don't have proof by whom. Considering how he jinxed Harry's broom though, I tend to believe Severus' guess that it might be the Dark Lord."
Amelia nodded in understanding. "Why else would he have attacked Harry, completely unprovoked? Did you try Legilimency?"
Regulus shook his head. "No, I didn't get a chance to do that. Today was my first attempt to check him out, and he was sitting in front of me. I suggest that we question him under Veritaserum and see what happens."
Amelia let out a deep sigh. Usually, she was extremely reluctant to use Veritaserum on captives if not ordered by the Wizengamot or by court. 'On the other hand, Severus wouldn't have voiced his assumption if he hadn't been fairly sure,' she thought.
"The question is," she said, pensively, "what we're going to do if it gets confirmed that it's Voldemort who's possessing him."
"There is a spell to banish a possessing spirit from a person," Regulus informed her. "The problem is that we need Quirrell to assist by allowing the spirit to take over for the time being. Otherwise, he might die in the process."
Amelia sighed. "Let's wake him up and ask him." Seeing him stare at her, silently, she conceded, "Very well then, give him Veritaserum before waking him up."
When Quirrell's mind returned to awareness, Regulus spoke up. "Mr. Quirrell, we know that you are housing the spirit of You-Know-Who in the back of your head. Can you confirm this?"
"Yes," Quirrell replied automatically, forced by the Veritaserum.
"We need you to allow the spirit to take over your mind for a moment, so that we can help you get rid of him," Regulus continued, causing the prisoner to feverishly search his robes for his wand.
"We've taken your wand, when we brought you in," Amelia informed him in a firm voice. "Please do as Unspeakable Raros tells you, or the consequences might be dire."
Nothing happened, and she glanced at Regulus in confusion.
"Plan B," he mumbled, as he cast a wandless spell at the possessed wizard, causing a black could to emerge from the back of his head, while Quirrell sank onto the ground, seemingly unconscious.
Amelia hurriedly cast a banishing charm at the black cloud, apparently to no avail, while Regulus cast a different spell, which she could not recognise. However, they both stared in horror at the black cloud that unhindered vanished through the wall.
"Oh no," Regulus breathed in obvious disappointment.
"He got away," Amelia added, dryly, completely shocked at their failure. "Is Quirrell alive?" she then asked.
"He is," Regulus confirmed. "I'm going to take him to St. Mungo's. I'll see you at home afterwards."
HP
"So he's still around and can come back possessing another person at any time?" Harry enquired upon hearing the story.
"Yes," Regulus admitted, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry."
"That's not your fault, Uncle Regulus," Harry replied, sighing as well. "We'll just have to keep our eyes open."
HP
As much as the quartet tried to keep their eyes open, skimming every person around them with suspicion, nothing happened before the beginning of the Christmas holidays.
Upon the children's begging, Lily had invited the Grangers to join them at Gryffindor Manor over the two weeks of holidays, and the muggles had accepted happily, especially after Hermione wrote to them that she wished nothing more than to spend the holidays together with her parents at her friends' home.
"Let's just go home tomorrow morning," Harry said to the others, when they spent some time in the founders' quarters. "It would be such a loss of time to take the Hogwarts Express to London just only to return home afterwards. Instead, we could spend some quality time in Hogsmeade buying Christmas presents."
"Oh, that's a great idea," Hermione agreed, eagerly. "I don't have anything for anyone yet, and I'd love to see Hogsmeade. I've never been there before."
"I just hope no one is going to miss us," Susan replied, pensively.
"Sorry Susan, but who would miss us?" Harry enquired.
"Daphne, Tracey, Draco, perhaps Ronald Weasley," Neville offered, smirking.
"Thank you all so much for allowing me to join your big family," Hermione said in a soft voice.
"We're glad to have you," Neville replied, gently, causing Harry to look at his brother with suspicion.
'It looks as if he likes Hermione,' he thought, feeling amused yet thrilled at the idea.
HP
After breakfast, Harry motioned for Draco, Daphne and Tracey to follow him through the connecting door into the Potions classroom, where the quartet said good-bye to their friends.
"Will you not be on the train later on?" Draco asked, giving the quartet an assessing look.
"No. We want to spend some time in Hogsmeade to buy Christmas presents," Hermione explained, eagerly.
'She's so excited about going to Hogsmeade; it's really funny,' Harry thought in amusement, however, knew better than to share his thoughts with the girl.
HP
While the girls seemed to thoroughly enjoy the trip into the small town looking for Christmas presents, Harry found it fairly annoying, especially as he had no idea what to buy for the younger trio as well as for his friends.
"Maybe we should split for an hour and then meet at the apothecary," Susan suggested at one stage and dragged Harry with her, leaving Hermione with Neville.
"That was a good idea," Harry agreed and suggested to head to Flourish & Blotts to buy a book about the magical world for Hermione.
They were lucky and found a tome, 'Traditions of the Magical World.' As it was quite expensive, they decided to buy it together and proceeded to look for some kind of special Herbology book for Neville.
HP
The whole family enjoyed spending Christmas at home. Only Minerva and Severus – as the heads of Gryffindor and Slytherin – had to attend at least dinner at Hogwarts.
"I'll be glad when you're going to take over as Slytherin head in two and a half years' time," Severus said to Lily, when the extended family was assembled around the dining table the following morning.
"Well, that's that," Lily spoke up, sighing. "It's much more urgent to find a replacement for Quirrell though."
Minerva let out a deep sigh. "If we wait for Albus to act, it might become catastrophic," she admitted. "Apparently, the only person to apply for the job was Gilderoy Lockhart." Ignoring everyone's gasp, she let her eyes wander around the table. "Marlene, what about you?" she addressed her former student. "As a former Auror, you should be more than capable for the position."
Marlene gave her a wary look. "I don't know," she finally admitted. "Everyone knows that the McKinnons are dead."
"And the position is cursed," Sirius added up.
"Lily, go and speak with Hogwarts," Salazar spoke up in a firm voice. "She should be able to help you counter the curse."
"I'll do that," Lily agreed and headed towards the door in determination.
"As to the matter about the McKinnons," Severus said, causing Lily to look back with curiosity. Severus turned to Marlene, who was sitting on his right side and suggested in a gentle voice," Why don't you register under the name Marlene Snape?"
While everyone stared at the couple in apparent shock, he lowered himself onto his knee and asked in the soft, silky voice, which Lily had always liked very much, "Marlene, will you become my wife?"
'Finally,' Lily thought, grinning broadly, as she stepped through the connecting door into the founders' quarters to speak with Hogwarts.
By the time she returned, Marlene appeared to have accepted Severus' proposal, and the family was celebrating their engagement.
"Hogwarts instructed me to bring you to her, and she'll see to it that you'll be able to remain on the position as long as you wish without being affected by the curse," Lily quickly informed her friend.
"I look forward to the next school year," Harry suddenly changed the topic.
"Even if it's still some months away, it'll be great not to be the youngest anymore," Susan added.
"Yes," Hermione agreed, "and it's going to be so much fun to help the new first-years adjust to Hogwarts."
None of them could anticipate how one of the new first-years was going to bring horror and grief to the family.
tbc...
Thank you so very much for your kind reviews for the last chapter. From the second year onwards, this story is going to be even more AU. Several reviewers asked me how long the Slytherins are going to continue being in hiding. It will take just a little longer.
Please tell me what you think about this chapter and your expectations for this story. Any opinions or ideas are very welcome.