Disclaimer: The world is not mine. No infringement intended.

In the time-altered world, end of act 3, scene 9…Umbridge has just confronted Snape & Scorpius…

As Umbridge drew up with the Dark Arts up ahead, the boy redoubled his speed, running down the path she had taken, a mane of thick, dark hair flying in his wake. It had been spoken of often…if this were ever to happen. The moment the dementors had swarmed off, he knew something was very, very wrong.

They knew. That had to be the explanation. There were only so many reasons dementors would swarm.

Perhaps it wasn't his parents…He had to hope, had to, as selfish as it was to do so. Guilt for the thought was fleeting. He had to find his parents, or at least one of them. His lungs screamed with his sustained speed. Almost there…

He knew he would be very dead either way if it was true, but he did not want to be away from them when it happened. He would rather a quick torturous end than a slow one, a ridiculed one, than his classmates bleeding him out or eviscerating him.

Umbridge suddenly went flying past him with the force of a spell.

Maybe they could still get away! Patronuses did work better in concert! His calves screamed with another burst of desperate effort.

Whipping out his wand, he took a great breath and yelled, in a voice that was crackling as it threatened to break from boyhood into more of a baritone, "Expecto Patronum!"

A small dragon bounded out of his lengthy wand, surprising for his yet smaller size, but promising he'd be tall like his father and quite the powerful wizard if the Patronus was any indication. Most Death Eaters, most wizards these days, could not conjure a corporeal Patronus, let alone a barely more than 5 foot tall 4th year.

He saw his father's doe Patronus running toward the lake before he saw the man himself, barely holding off dementors. Why?

As another figure ran away toward the lake, he yelled, "Dad! Dad!" A few more steps, "What are you doing!" His dragon soared ahead of him, betraying the urgency he wished his own legs could command.

The doe followed the figure toward the lake, and his dragon sent a silvery lick of fire at the dementors, bounding around he and his father in a tight circle.

"Mum?" he gasped, finally grabbing hold of his father as he skid to a stop. His father grabbed his arm with his free hand to steady him from flying right by.

There was a great surge to his Patronus, betraying his memory and his ability to hold the charm was probably closely linked to his father.

The elder man shook his head sadly, to the barely asked question of the fate of his mother. Then, it clicked, like a moment where everything else stopped and the answer came to you.

"You must go, now, son! Go…with Scorpius…in the lake. It is the only way." Severus had once sacrificed Lily's son to try and save the world, he had to be capable of doing the same with his own, but fate seemed to provide him another option.

"What?!" the boy croaked. His own wand arm was already shaking from trying to hold his Patronus around them.

It was hard to keep sadness out, just then, so very hard. He knew what this meant. He knew what he was being asked to do.

"Focus on your memory! Go!" his father said, touching his face softly with his hand briefly. "Obey me in this, before it's too late."

"Y-yes, sir."

"Run, NOW!"

And run he did, forcing himself not to look back, trying to close his mind to the fear that knocked at every entrance to his heart. If the dementors chased him, it would all be for nothing. His father had not taught him to master his own mind for nothing, and his memory was very strong and very practiced.

"Scorpius!" he yelled, barely even feeling his foot falls toward the lake in the darkness, cold nipping at him. "Scorpius wait!" Why he was chasing after Scorpius Malfoy to somehow save him, who was no true friend of his or the Light, truth be told, despite his appearances to be Scorpius' best friend, was beyond him, but his father ordered it, and he did it.

His lungs piercing with exertion from having sprinted so long and so hard to even get out there, he knew what that cold was as he pushed as hard as he could until he saw the glistening of the water, and launched into it. His limbs were still moving like he was running when he crashed into the water hearing a whistling and just barely grabbing a hold of his pseudo-friend before-.

"Scorp-."

And a bang and a flash drowned out his question.

Cold and wet. He kicked for the top, wand tight in his hand, exhausted by the effort of holding a Patronus for so long, but like his parents one who knew precisely what it meant to fight to the absolute end. Honestly, perhaps a little past the absolute end.

This was OBVIOUSLY a little past the absolute end!

Having just left dementors and having no idea that anything regarding time was involved, the black-haired boy was entirely disoriented and entirely of the belief that he was still in the world where he had just listened to dementors kiss his father and was due a horrid end himself, whilst soaking wet.

He choked on water, holding his wand aloft, another Patronus ready on his lips.

"Scorpius!"

But his friend was not looking at him but yelling for some boy named Albus (what nutter named someone Albus and didn't conceal it!) some feet away. He wiped water from his eyes and coughed, looking around as he kicked at the water to stay up. There were no dementors. He felt no coldness. No misery. It looked…brighter…newer.

Adults began yelling from the shore. He had no idea where they came from or who they were. There had not been that many people about when he had jumped in the lake, he was certain.

Am I…Am I dead too? How else could the dementors have gone? They had been there for as long as he could remember.

The sudden absence of life-threatening circumstances took away the veil of adrenaline, and he choked for different reasons. That scream replayed in his head, echoing out in the sobs from his mouth. The doe's eyes. His father's hand on his face. On his face for the last time…ever?

His robes made it hard to swim in the water and the weight of reality made it even harder. He flailed and then he choked again. With the water from his thick hair coming down to his face, he did not realize right away they were joined by tears, watery things that he had learned to banish away long ago.

He coughed and blinked his way to the shore as the adults clamored for Scorpius and this Albus who must have been in the water with him. He was not sure where the boy came from; he was not a classmate. He couldn't worry about it though, as he gasped for air on his hands and knees on the shore some yards away.

Suddenly, the adults seemed to notice him, and he recognized only Mr. Malfoy?

Confused glances met him and his soaked, slightly different Slytherin robes.

Cold. He was so cold and tired. "Mr. Malfoy?" he said, before he flopped over sideways and passed out, wand clutched tightly in his hand.

AN - I have the next two chapters written, so the faster I get some reviews/feedback, the faster I'll post up more!

The only place I intend on stretching the events of HP8 is that Scorpius brings someone back with him, which is stretched, but still technically possible. Everything else will be canon compliant to the best of my ability. Could not resist playing with the idea of time-altered Severus Snape!