Chapter Fifty-Two: Back Home
The next thing Severus knew was that he was standing back in his dormitory, and when he looked at the clock that hung aside the large double-panelled window, he was relieved to see that it read 7.57pm, the time had left to time-travel for the very first time.
He felt like an alien to his own dormitory, and he looked around in wonder. Was it really his own universe? Was there really only him, and no other version walking about the grounds? He felt a surge of freedom run through his veins and he could hardly comprehend how good it felt to belong in the right world again.
Severus then heard someone climbing of the stairs as the loud creeks resonated through the entire room. Assuming it was Avery who had come back to ask him yet another question about Veritaserum, Severus tried to appear as natural as possible by flopping onto his bed. He scrambled for a misplaced book that happened to be lying around and tried to look as if he was deeply into it. But he needn't have bothered. For the person who came into his room, was himself.
When the door opened to reveal the other Severus, the real Severus felt as if he could faint at any moment. How?
The other Severus gasped, and the real Severus then heard the voice of a woman mutter, "What are you gasping about?"
When the woman finally came into the room, Severus recognised her as being Myra, the woman at the Ministry who was in charge of dispatching (and probably manufacturing) time-turners (and time-forwarders, though of course no-one knew that).
"What are you doing here?!" Severus accused before he could help himself, but Myra did not appear to be the slightest bit offended.
Instead, she just sighed loudly.
"All that effort I went through. And you've managed to get back yourself! Tell me, how did you do it?"
"It's a long story." Severus admitted truthfully. "But why are you bringing him back?"
"I thought he was you." Myra replied. "I only realised I picked up the wrong one once he started talking. He obviously had no idea of anything."
The alternate Severus, who had remained silent up until the present moment now decided to speak up.
"Hey!" He exclaimed. "Don't talk about me as if I'm not here! She just came up to me and said I could return back home, and I just figured anything was better than my actual home so I agreed."
Severus was dumbfounded. Was his alternate self so dismissive about his own life that he would happily follow someone he didn't know, just because he thought he would have a better life?! And to think they were almost the same person!
"That's so stupid!" Severus yelled at him. "You don't know what could've happened…"
"Yeah, well you don't know what I have to deal with!" The other Severus argued.
"Trust me, I do." Severus replied. "We are the same person, you know."
"Which brings me to my next point!" The other Severus then said. "Are you…an alternate version of myself?"
"That," Myra started, "will all be explained soon. For now, however, we need to go on another trip."
"Another trip?" The other Severus sighed.
"Wait!" The real Severus exclaimed. "You can't go yet!"
"Why not?" Myra asked. "If you've managed to get back on your own, then I can bring him back to his proper universe."
"But I have so many questions!" The real Severus complained.
"That don't need answering." Myra replied as she started rummaging through her bag.
But Severus was determined. He wasn't going to let someone ignore him this time. All his life, he had been nothing but a push-over, who let people walk all over them. But not anymore. He knew Dumbledore wanted to be like his old self and make all of his old self's decisions, but surely asking for some answers wasn't going to drastically change the events of time?
"No!" Severus shouted. "Listen to me! You're going to give me some answers-now!"
Myra, who had been barely listening to him then looked up in surprise. It was peculiar. The boy's alternate self was much less bold. She preferred that version of him.
"What do you want to know?" She sighed, deciding to sit down.
The other Severus went to sit down on another bed, unsure of what to do with himself. He looked terribly uncomfortable.
"Well first of all, how do you know all of this? All of my…situation?" Severus asked, not knowing now to phrase it.
"I work at the Ministry, honey." Myra replied nonchalantly.
"So you knew about…Payton's…plan?"
"Of course! I was his best friend! Well, I suppose I am still. I suspect he wants more of a friendship though." Myra said, thinking out loud.
"Oh…" Severus said awkwardly.
Myra cheeks had turned pick as she realised what she had just revealed, and she then cleared her throat uncomfortably.
"Anyway…" She started, with an unnaturally high pitch of voice. "No one likes Payton. Everyone thinks he's a bit mad. And he is, really. He's one of those people that is never satisfied with what they have. Give them bike, and they'll want a car. Give them a car, and they'll want a truck. Give them a truck, and they'll want a train. And give them a train, they'll want an airplane!"
Myra then paused to look at Severus.
"Sorry if you don't understand the analogy, I grew up in the Muggle World, you see. I still can't believe some wizards don't know what airplanes are. You guys know about cars and trains, but not about bikes and trucks and airplanes? So strange! I'm assuming you're a pure-blood?" She asked.
Severus shook his head.
"Half-blood. I grew up in the Muggle World too." He answered shortly.
His childhood was not something he wanted to go on about for days.
"Well good, you understand what I mean. Payton was obsessed with the idea of creating a new and improved time-turner- he had been for decades. Croaker told him again and again that you could only travel back a few hours for a reason, but his words flew completely over Payton's head. When Payton's determined, he'll get anything done. And it didn't help when he became a Death-Eater." Myra shook her head.
"I know about that." Severus said. "So were you on his team?"
"I'm not a Death-Eater." Myra said flatly. "As much as Payton tried to convince me to join them, I refused. But nevertheless, he still let me in on the device he was planning called the 'Time-Forwarder.' I knew all about the book- hell, he even read some parts out to me- and when I saw you come to the Ministry for a time-turner, I knew exactly what Payton would do. So I grabbed one of his time-turners and set out to find you to bring you back."
Severus frowned for a moment in confusion, but then realised that she was the real Myra. From his universe. That was why Myra hadn't recognised him when he went to the Ministry for the second time- it was the other Myra!
"So you've got to go back to the other universe to bring him," Severus looked at his other self, "home. And then you've got to return back to this universe."
"Correct." Myra sighed, getting up.
"I haven't finished!" Severus protested. "Something I don't understand- how was there a future version of myself if I was still stuck in the wrong universe?"
"That future version wasn't really you. It was him." Myra nodded to the other Severus, who seemed frightened at all these revelations.
"This is actually really confusing for me, but luckily for you I can wrap my head around it. Whilst you were stuck in the wrong universe, I was doing exactly this- bringing you, albeit the wrong version of you- to the right universe. So he's the man you saw as your future self."
"But how does he have the same memories as me?!" Severus exclaimed, baffled. "Do you know who Hermione is?"
The other Severus looked alarmed at this question.
"Of course!" He almost shouted. "I love her!"
"See?!" Severus insisted. "How does he know what happened? I experienced it, not him!"
Myra's eyes widened in surprise and she then began pacing around the room. After a few minutes, she stopped abruptly.
"I think…I think he became you." Myra said. "You know that there can only be one version of you who belongs to each universe. This universe is yours, and the alternate universe is his. But when there is no one in a universe…"
"So you mean when I left to go in the other universe, there was no version of me here, in my real universe?" Severus asked.
"Precicely." Myra replied. "So now when I bring, him, he now becomes that version of you, hence why he has your memories."
"But I'm still alive!" Severus exclaimed.
"You belong to your universe, right? So any version of you becomes the version that aligns with that universe."
"So that's why I still saw another version of myself in the past alternate universe?" Sevrus asked.
"Yes, I must have gone to another universe and brought back yet another Severus Snape to the past alternate universe. Or else do you know what would have happened to you, Severus?" Myra questioned him.
"I would have become him. The version of Severus Snape that aligns with that universe." Severus gulped.
"Correct." Myra agreed.
"It all makes sense now. So when I kept changing things in the future, the memories of him would change too, like an update or something. Each time I did something, his memories would change. That's why Hermione said Professor Snape was mean at first, then strange, then alright, and then kind! He started to remember Hermione as I went to the future!"
Myra nodded, letting Severus speak his mind.
"I have one last question." Severus admitted.
"Yes?" Myra asked,
"How did you get into the boy's dormitory?"
Myra rolled her eyes.
"I have a badge from the Ministry. I just said I was completing an inspection and they let me right into the school. Then I said I needed to see dormitories, and they didn't even blink an eye!" She laughed.
Severus nodded, and then quietly asked her what she was going to do about the other Severus.
"I'll Obliviate him." She whispered, so he would not hear. "I don't think you want him to have the same memories. And then I'll send him back to his rightful home."
Severus let out a sigh of relief. Everything was going to go back to normal, for better or for worse.
