A/N) And here is the next chapter! I finished this chapter last night so I hope it is up to standard... It may feel a bit rushed but it is intended to be. Thank you for all the comments and reviews so far!
Twisting Time
Chapter 25
Monday 2nd September 1991
"Voldemort is here." Sirius didn't even bother to say hello as he walked straight into the Headmaster's office. Classes were due to start in an hour but Sirius had wanted to inform the Headmaster that he was currently hosting the darkest wizard of all time, though he knew Dumbledore already was aware of that fact.
"I know, Sirius," replied the Headmaster calmly. "You did tell me Voldemort possessed Quirrell originally to acquire the Philosopher's Stone. I could not prevent Professor Quirrell from embarking on his hands on year experience. I do believe Voldemort is after the Philosopher's Stone which is why I have kept it securely within my office."
"You have the stone here?" gaped Sirius. He thought they had agreed not to place the Stone at Hogwarts.
"I do. Nicholas Flamel requested I look after it until the threat has passed. However, instead of setting traps and corning off of a corridor and making it obvious where the Stone is, I have decided to keep it within this office. No one can penetrate my defences apart from me. And no one, save for you, know it is here. None of the other Professors are aware of its existence within these walls. Voldemort assumes it is still in the hands of Nicolas Flamel."
Sirius folded his arms across his chest. "But anyone can get into this office if they know the password which every member of staff knows. How long do you intend to allow Voldemort to run around on the back of Quirrell's head? Is it possible to save him?" He knew the Professor had died when Voldemort had left his body but the man had been mortally wounded by Lily's protection when he had attacked Harry…
"I believe Voldemort will leave Quirrell's body if he has the chance to possess you. He will not dare to do so until he is sure he can get his hands upon the Philosopher's Stone. I do not intend to have Voldemort within my school for long."
"I don't like him being around Harry." Sirius' eyes were hard as he watched Dumbledore's reaction.
"Harry was perfectly safe with Quirrell teaching him before. Nothing happened to him until he directly confronted the Professor. I see no reason why Quirrell would pose a threat to Harry in this timeline now," stated Dumbledore carefully.
Sirius sighed. He couldn't argue with it but he hated the thought of Voldemort being around young children, especially his godson. "Then what can I do to make sure we stop this quickly?"
"Keep an eye on Quirrell. Watch and observe him… When the time is right, we will set a trap. One which will hopefully draw Voldemort out of Quirrell's body," explained Dumbledore. "We can hope to trap him when the school is distracted by something else."
Sirius had told Dumbledore everything he knew about Harry's original first year. He had a feeling he knew what the Headmaster was referring to. "The Troll?" Quirrell had let a Troll into the castle as a distraction so he could go and scout out for the Philosopher's Stone. "You're happy to let a Troll into Hogwarts?" He was surprised the Headmaster was quite calm about the situation.
"From what you explained no one was hurt. We can pre-empt this and stop Voldemort at that point if we allow events to unfold as they are now," stated Dumbledore. "I do not wish to put my students in danger but we have no choice… I would rather work with you to trap Voldemort on Halloween then for us to work separately."
Sirius could see the Headmaster's point but it did mean allowing Voldemort access to Harry for the next two months but since he hadn't acted originally… He shook his head. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen to his godson and he would be powerless to stop it. "Ok, fine. I'll work with you on this."
Dumbledore didn't elaborate how he intended to trap Voldemort on Halloween, instead he kept quiet about it. If events unfolded the way they had done so originally then Quirrell would let a Troll into the castle as a distraction while he tried to get the Stone. The problem Sirius was having was figuring out whether Voldemort truly was after the Stone. Dumbledore seemed certain he was but how had Nicholas Flamel realised his creation was in danger in the first place?
"He must have had someone threaten him… though it isn't exactly uncommon knowledge for people to not know of the Flamel's longevity," frowned Sirius. He sat at his desk in his office, half tempted to contact Flamel and find out if he'd had any trouble lately. Sirius made sure to keep up-to-date with what was going on in the Daily Prophet. He could only presume Voldemort had learned about the Stone from Quirrell, if he hadn't known of it before.
Still, at least Dumbledore was keeping the Stone in his office where it should have been kept in the first place. He felt positive that Dumbledore had deliberately put the Stone on the third floor corridor as a way of testing Harry but Sirius knew he couldn't accuse this Dumbledore of that since he had at least placed it somewhere else now.
Tuesday 3nd September 1991
Sirius had his first lesson today with the third years that had elected to study Muggle Studies. He had already held a class for seventh years and fifth years the day before. His classes all fell on four days which suited Sirius fine as it allowed him to go back to his own home and see his friends and family. It allowed him to keep his freedom.
He liked being back at Hogwarts on a more permanent basis but he didn't enjoy how the students kept staring at him. He couldn't blame them considering they would have grown up hearing tales about him. Since he had barely spent any time in the Wizarding World, they probably hadn't expected him to turn up as a Professor at their school.
His first lesson with the third years went well: he started by explaining how the Muggle world and Wizarding World worked together to form a cohesive society, though without the Muggles knowing that magic existed. He wanted to help them understand why some witches and wizards came from Muggles when there was no magical blood in them – Sirius knew differently. The potential for magic was always there, and the potential to be born a Muggle was always there for Wizards. Sirius wanted them to understand this point because he didn't want the idea of Muggles stealing magic or being less than good to appear.
He didn't set them any official homework though advised them to read up the first chapter in one of the books he had set for the class.
Certainly by the end of the first week he had gained the reputation of a Professor who rarely set homework. He knew that would soon change: he just didn't want to push his students too hard on their first week back.
Friday 6th September 1991
Harry came to visit him on Friday afternoon. Though Sirius had no lessons to hold on the Friday, he had remained at Hogwarts as Harry had asked him yesterday if he could talk to him during his afternoon off. Sirius had agreed and had decided to leave Hogwarts in the evening and to return on Monday morning to take his seventh year class.
His godson arrived at his quarters with Neville and Hermione in tow.
Sirius had conjured comfortable chairs in advance of them arriving and had already made tea and some biscuits for them to eat.
Harry wasn't too embarrassed to give Sirius a hug in front of his friends though Sirius knew Harry wouldn't do so in public anymore. He was at the stage now where he hated holding his mother's hand which Lily still did sometimes insist upon, especially when they were going to places that were new to them.
"How was your first week?" asked Sirius, smiling as he sipped at his tea.
"It was great!" Harry grinned. "We had so much fun! I didn't think we would be starting practical magic so soon! I know it is only really tiny things…"
Sirius chuckled. He would always remember the joy he had felt when he had performed his first spell though unlike Harry, he had not waited until he was eleven to begin performing spells. Being the pure-blood heir of a noble family, Sirius had been required to learn a few spells as a child, either using his father's or his mother's wand. But the joy had been unparalleled when he had performed his first spell with his own wand. He didn't have that wand anymore since Voldemort had destroyed it back in 1981. Sirius had purchased a new wand a long time ago though he still had the wand Dumbledore had left in Godric's Hollow for him to use though Sirius never used it.
"How are you fitting in Hermione?" asked Sirius, turning his attention to the Muggle-born girl that in, another life, had helped save his own from the jaws of the Dementors.
"It's good to be around people who are like me," she answered carefully. "It's amazing how a hidden society could exist within the one I grew up in and then to find I am a part of it… There is so much to learn… I worry I will not keep up with anything."
"You're really smart, Hermione!" said Neville. "You're loads better than me at magic! I bet you will be top of the year!"
Hermione shook her head. "I won't be."
Sirius chuckled, knowing full well that Hermione would be. He could see no reason why she wouldn't continue to do so. "Hermione, there are plenty of people who start from scratch when it comes to magic, even if they do come from a magical family. The Weasley family are Pure-bloods but they do not allow their children to perform magic before they reach eleven. My family – the Black family – taught me a few spells before I was eleven, but it is really rare these days to find an eleven year old who has had experience of magic. The majority of your classmates are the same as you. This is all new to them."
"But they grew up in this world…. I didn't… They know more about it than I do…" she continued.
Harry folded his arms across his chest. "I don't know about the workings of our world that much, Hermione. You have read a lot of books already… I'm sure you know more than me."
"But you explained so much on the train…" Hermione pointed out.
"Pure-blood politics," snorted Neville. "It isn't something that is important now-a-days."
"The Pure-blood society is a dying breed," added Sirius. "Every pure-blood family will die out unless it evolves to embrace those of lesser blood. The Black family is practically extinct in the male line, unless I marry and have an heir… And, don't forget at the moment I'm going out with a Muggle-born witch. If we ever married and had a child, the Pure-blood line of the Black name would end. It currently continues in the female line with my cousin marrying a Malfoy… But to all intents and purposes, the Black Pure-blood line has ended whether I have an heir or not." He took a biscuit from the plate. "But this is stuff you shouldn't worry about knowing, Hermione. I know you want to know everything…"
"It's not needed!" finished Harry. He brushed a hand through his messy black hair, reminding Sirius of James. "Just have fun. Concentrate on what you need to know now! You have the rest of your life to learn all about our world, like Neville and I do!"
Hermione still looked worried.
"Hermione, just enjoy your life," advised Sirius. "Enjoy Hogwarts for what it is. You will have plenty of time to learn everything."
Finally she nodded, accepting the advice.
Sirius took the opportunity to change the conversation. "So… how did you first Potions lesson go?" He was intrigued over whether Snape would still treat Harry dismally or if his attitude would change since Lily still lived.
Harry shrugged. "It was okay. Snape didn't really explain things too well. I don't think I've got mum's talent for it though. He seemed to favour the Slytherins."
"He wasn't nice to me," added Neville. "He seemed to prefer to ignore Harry and Hermione."
Sirius frowned. "He shouldn't be nasty to students." At least he hadn't transferred his hatred of James onto Harry this time.
Neville shrugged. "It's ok. I'm going to try my best to make sure I'm better than he thinks I am!"
Sirius smiled. It was nice to see how much Neville had changed. He had never really met the boy in the old timeline but had observed him from afar. Growing up with his parents had given Neville more courage and friendship than he'd had originally. "Good for you."
"I'm going to try out for the Quidditch team too!" said Harry.
"First years are not allowed to…" grinned Sirius.
"I know. I meant in second year! Though they need a Seeker now," sighed Harry. "I'm really good too!"
"I know you are." Sirius had contemplated talking to Dumbledore about allowing Harry onto the Quidditch team however he had decided against it. Flying lessons still needed to be held for first years. He was sure Harry would still prove his worth at flying and that he would get on the team. There were some things he didn't need to interfere with after all. "It'll come to you, Harry. You won't go through your whole seven years without making the team."
"I hope not!"
Neville laughed. "Harry, if you're not on the team by second year I will…"
"You'll what?" grinned Harry. "Jump out of Gryffindor Tower? Eat the slugs we need for Potion ingredients?"
Hermione made a noise.
Sirius chuckled. Harry certainly liked to joke and tease Neville but then the other boy always did back in retaliation.
"If I win, you have to fly around the Quidditch pitch in just your scarf and pants! But if I lose I will eat the slugs we need for Potion ingredients!"
It was typical eleven year old banter.
Sirius was strongly reminded of what he and James had been like. He was surprised by Harry's response to the offer.
Harry held out his hand to Neville. "Deal!"
They shook hands.
A few weeks later, when the first years had their flying lesson with Madam Hooch, Harry had got himself into a tussle with Draco Malfoy, who had stolen something from Neville, after the boy had crashed and broken his wrist, and had refused to give it back, however Harry had pursued him on a broomstick and performed a complex manoeuvre to catch the object. It just so happened the incident occurred right outside McGonagall's window and she had promptly gone to get Harry from the lesson and inform Oliver Wood she had found him a seeker.
As a result of this new development, Harry conceded Neville had won their bet. Sirius did not want to know when Harry intended on settling his own end of the bargain.
Thursday 31st October 1991
Halloween rolled around quickly and Sirius was surprised how concerned he felt about the feast. He had kept an eye upon Quirrell, succeeding in not being noticed he hoped, whilst maintaining a working relationship with the man. He didn't want Quirrell or Voldemort to think he was on to them by deliberately avoiding him. He felt certain Voldemort must have told Quirrell to get close to him and Sirius had the horrible feeling he would soon be facing the Dark Lord again.
He sat down at the Head Table, casting his gaze out onto the hall. He could see Harry laughing with the other first year Gryffindor boys as they tucked into the feast before them. It didn't surprise Sirius that Professor Quirrell was nowhere to be seen. He has to be letting in that troll.
Thankfully the Headmaster had informed Sirius of his plan to stop Voldemort. Whilst the other Professors went to deal with the troll, Sirius would double-back and head to the Headmaster's office where he would wait for Quirrell to arrive. Unfortunately, the knowledge that the Headmaster was protecting the Stone had leaked out amongst the staff, so Quirrell was now aware of the location of the Stone.
Sirius had obtained James' invisibility cloak which he had yet to give to Harry. He knew James intended on giving it to Harry at Christmas, so Sirius felt lucky he could still use it for now. James had wanted to be with Sirius when he confronted Quirrell but had refused his friend's help. They could only fit one person underneath the cloak.
It was getting close to the end of the feast when the doors to the Great Hall opened and Quirrell came running in with a look of intense fear on his face.
"TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" He stopped in front of the Professor's table. "Thought you might want to know." Then he fainted.
Sirius narrowed his eyes. Quirrell was a very good actor.
Every student in the hall screamed. The Headmaster called for silence before issuing his orders. He made it clear that every other Professor who didn't have students to look out for, would accompany him to the dungeons.
Sirius followed the other Professors out of the Great Hall but then veered off to the side towards the Headmaster's Office, pulling the cloak out of his robes and throwing it over himself. He hurried towards the Headmaster's Office, speaking the password before running up the steps and launching himself in, where he then stepped behind the Headmaster's chair and knelt down, with the cloak still around himself. He kept his wand ready.
It wasn't long before the door opened again and Quirrell stepped in.
"Where would he hide it?" the man was muttering. "It must be here… It was trusted to him after all…"
Then Sirius heard a whispered, harsh reply and his blood ran stone-cold when he realised whose voice it was.
"It is here! Search for a high concentration of spells! You must hurry!"
"Yes… Master…" Quirrell began to move around the office.
Sirius took in a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come. Slowly, he rose from behind the Headmaster's chair, invisibility cloak still on. Stepping out from behind the desk, Sirius pulled the cloak off of himself.
Quirrell stood with his back to him, the purple turban around his head concealing Voldemort's features from him.
"Hello Quirinus, or should I say Voldemort too?" Sirius steeled his fingers, not loosening them once from his wand.
Quirrell jumped, twisting his body so his wand pointed at Sirius. "Black! Whatever… do… you… mean?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Don't play games with me! I know Voldemort is with you! You already tried to take the Philosopher's Stone before Voldemort!" He knew the Dark Lord knew he had come from a different future so there wasn't any harm in telling him otherwise.
The hissing voice came from behind the turban. "Let me see him!"
"But… Master…"
"Do it!" Voldemort demanded.
Sirius swallowed. He didn't like where this was going as Quirrell reached up and began to untie the turban, letting it fall away. Then the man turned around. There, on the back of the man's head, was another face. He knew Voldemort had used Quirrell in this way before but to actually see another physical presence attached to the body of another made Sirius feel sick.
Voldemort glared out at Sirius, his red eyes piercing the younger man. "I tried this before?"
"Yes." There was no point in lying. He had offered that information up for free.
"Did you stop me before?"
Sirius stayed silent.
"Not willing to share, Black?"
"Not with you," snorted Sirius. He kept his wand trained on Voldemort's face.
"Very well…" the chilling voice continued. "I will have to devise other ways to get inside your head and get all the information I need from you…"
"I will never let you get inside my head!" snarled Sirius.
"I will…" A mirthless smile spread across Voldemort's face.
And then something happened that Sirius didn't expect.
Voldemort left Quirrell's body. The man slumped to the floor as a smoky vapour erupted from his body, with Voldemort's features becoming clearer in the smoke. "YOU WILL BE MINE!"
Sirius ducked, throwing himself to the side. He didn't know how easy it would be for Voldemort to force possession on someone and Sirius only had limited space to move. He scrambled back, thrusting his wand forward and yelled: "Protego!" A shield shimmered in front of him and Voldemort's spirit bounced off of it.
Then several things happened at once: the door to Dumbledore's office flew open and standing there was the Headmaster, as well as Professor McGonagall and Snape. All three had their wands raised. Secondly Voldemort's spirit went back towards the wall before he fell back to Quirrell's fallen body.
"Stay there!" yelled Sirius. He knew Voldemort wouldn't listen.
Voldemort, now back in Quirrell's body, but now in full control of it, raised the Professor's wand and pointed it directly at Sirius, speaking through Quirrell's lips. "I will get you, Black! Mark my words! I will find out exactly what is in your head! You may have changed time and your role within it but I will get what I want from you!"
Dumbledore stepped forward, half-shielding Sirius from Voldemort's cold, red gaze that emanated from Quirrell's eyes. "You will never get your hands on Sirius Black."
Quirrell's face turned into a snarl as Voldemort's anger poured forth onto his face. "You cannot protect him forever!"
Voldemort was right. Sirius couldn't be protected forever. And he didn't want to be.
Sirius smirked. "The thing is, you don't know what you originally did before I changed things. I could continue to outsmart you just by knowledge. The timelines may have changed but it is still fundamentally the same. All you can do is hope you do something different to what you originally did and hope I have no knowledge of it."
Redness glinted in Quirrell's eyes. "I will not stop until I have ripped every single secret you have from your head!"
"I look forward to it," quipped Sirius.
Voldemort snarled and then moved quickly. Even as Professor McGonagall and Snape attempted to stun him, he leapt out of the Headmaster's window, completely shattering it.
By the time Sirius and Dumbledore had reached it, Quirrell's body was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did he go?" cursed Sirius.
Dumbledore sighed. "I suspect he used a cushioning charm to break his fall before using a disillusion charm on himself. We won't find him now."
Sirius bit his lip. "And Quirrell?"
"Alive, I suspect, but now completely unable to control his own body. It will not surprise me if Voldemort abandons Quirrell's body and we find him dead soon." Dumbledore sounded disheartened by that. "I had hoped to save him…"
"There are some people who cannot be saved…" finished Sirius.
A hand touched him on the shoulder. "I also believe you have some explaining to do," said the Headmaster gently.
Sirius gulped. "I do?"
A loud hurrumph was heard from behind him and Sirius cringed. He turned, looking slightly sheepish, towards Professor McGonagall.
"Perhaps, Mr Black, you can explain to me what You-Know-Who meant by you changing time?"
Wednesday 25th December 1991
Harry woke before seven in the morning feeling excited about the day ahead. He was sure it was going to be an exciting day. He looked towards the end of his bed where his stocking hung off the back. The gifts in the stocking were just small gifts, intending to tire him over until after dinner when he would get his main presents. Harry didn't understand why they couldn't open them all in the morning when they woke up but his father insisted it was Potter tradition.
Harry fully intended to get rid of that particular tradition when he became head of the family.
The few times Harry had met his Muggle cousin, he had been annoyed when he realised Dudley was allowed to open his presents whenever he wanted. Harry had learned restraint growing up but his younger brother was at the stage when he wanted them now. Christmas morning was usually spent entertaining him until it was time for the main meal.
Reaching into the stocking he pulled out the first present, unwrapped it and found a small bar of Honeydukes chocolate. He was tempted to eat it now but he knew his parents would be mad if he ruined his breakfast. Instead he placed it on his bedside table, ready to eat later. He went through the rest of the stocking unwrapping: socks with moving broomsticks patterned across them, a miniature Muggle joke book, a diary, a notebook, more chocolate and a little model of Harry's favourite Quidditch player. It was a nice little haul of gifts but he was looking forward to getting his main presents.
"Come on broomstick!" he grinned to himself. He had wanted a new broomstick for years but his father had always said no, promising to get him one when he went to Hogwarts, which he had yet to receive. Harry could only assume his father was holding it back until now. Since he was Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Harry had, had to use his father's broomstick. Though it was nice using a good broom, it wasn't the same as having your own. His father's broom was also a few years old which was now being matched in the market for faster, lighter and speedier models. Harry was hoping he would receive a Nimbus 2000.
A few hours later, Harry was delighted to receive a Nimbus 2000 and his father's invisibility cloak. Who knew what mischief he could get up to at Hogwarts with his father's old cloak?
Certainly, Harry was sure, the next term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would bring many adventures and plenty of surprises.
He wasn't wrong.
To be continued...
Please let me know what you think!
So The Philosopher's Stone has, in effect, been dealt with now. Since Sirius has knowledge of that time, they can cut time short as for how long Voldemort is in the Castle for. Sirius worked on the assumption that Halloween would be the first time Quirrell would try to get the Stone. He still let the Troll in but Harry had no need to confront it. He's just a normal boy.
The confrontation with Voldemort was meant to be short. It's meant to reestablish that Sirius is still the main target and now its been reinforced more by cutting Voldemort's plans short. Sirius wants to keep Voldemort's attention on him. This also means Sirius is now starting to walk into the unknown. He has dealt with most of the threats Harry faced originally... from now on he cannot say for sure what will happen.
That last scene with Harry is skipping ahead a bit... but I wanted to end this chapter in this particular place. There will be more of what occurred between Halloween and Christmas in the next chapter in the way of flashbacks.
Also, GOOD NEWS, from Friday I am on holiday for a few weeks. I'm not going anywhere, just having some time at home, so I will be able to hopefully write a lot and get ahead of myself. The next chapter will be posted next Tuesday!
Until then,
the-writer1988