Scorpius and I ran into the Potions classroom, slamming back the door. Severus Snape looked up at us.

Due to Voldemort Day we had not had classes in the whole time we had been here. I definitely would have noticed Professor Snape!

Snape sneered at us. "Did no one teach you to knock, boy?"

Scorpius looked up at Snape, slightly breathless, slightly unsure, slightly exultant. He looked at me uncertain where to start.

"Severus Snape. This is an honor." Scorpius babbled out.

"Indeed an honor sir!" I was acting like a goofy girl, but this was THE Severus Snape. Spy extraordinaire and all around best Slytherin EVER!

Snape glared at us. "Professor Snape will do fine. You may behave like a king at this school, Malfoy, but that doesn't make us all your subjects. And I am surprised at you Miss Umbridge."

Scorpius was too excited to hold back. "But you're the answer…"

"How very pleasant for me. If you've got something to say, boy, then please say it…" Snape was singularly unimpressed. "If not, close the door on your way out."

Scorpius pleaded. "We need your help."

"Please, sir." I tried not to throw myself at his feet. I succeeded. Just barely.

Snape rolled his eyes. "I exist to serve."

Scorpius was baffled as to how to continue. "I just don't know what help I need. Are you still undercover now? Are you still working secretly for Dumbledore?"

Snape glared at him. "Dumbledore? Dumbledore's dead. And my work for him was public I taught in his school."

"No." Scorpius slammed his hands down on a desk. "That's not all you did. You watched the Death Eaters for him. You advised him. Everyone thought you'd murdered him but it turned out you'd been supporting him. You saved the world."

"And we destroyed it." I confessed. Something about his hands intrigued me, but I couldn't guess what.

Snape looked ready to poison us. "These are very dangerous allegations, boy. And don't think the Malfoy name will prevent me inflicting punishment."

Scorpius tried desperately to convince him. "What if I was to tell you there was another world, another world in which Voldemort was defeated at the Battle of Hogwarts, in which Harry Potter and Dumbledore's Army won, how would you feel then?"

Snape looked at us carefully. "I'd say that the rumors of Hogwarts' beloved Scorpion King losing his mind are well founded."

"Your ring!" I shouted. "That's what it is!"

Both of them turned to look at me. "My what?" Snape had a scowl that could peel paint.

"Your mother's wedding ring!" I motioned towards his hand. "Eileen Prince!"

"Of course!" Scorpius nodded. "How could I have missed it? My mother never takes it off."

"You… what are you babbling about now?" But Professor Snape now looked more curious than angry.

"Alya Malfoy NEVER takes off that ring." I told him. "She… I think she cared for you very much sir."

Snape just looked at me. "Explain." Alya was the key. He was willing to listen now.

Scorpius explained. "There was a stolen Time-Turner. I stole a Time-Turner. With Albus. We tried to bring Cedric Diggory back from the dead, when he was dead. We tried to stop him winning the Triwizard Tournament. But by doing so we turned him into an almost different person entirely."

Snape shook his head. "Harry Potter won that Triwizard Tournament."

Scorpius went on. "He wasn't supposed to do it alone. Cedric was supposed to win it with him. But we humiliated him out of the tournament. And as a result of that humiliation he became a Death Eater. I can't work out what he did in the Battle of Hogwarts, whether he killed someone or what, but he did something and it changed everything."

Snape snorted. "Cedric Diggory killed only one wizard and not a significant one. Neville Longbottom."

Scorpius smacked his head. "Oh, of course, that's it! Professor Longbottom was supposed to kill Nagini, Voldemort's snake. Nagini had to die before Voldemort could die. That's it! You've solved it! We destroyed Cedric, he killed Neville, Voldemort won the battle. Can you see? Can you see it?"

Snape could not afford to be swayed. "I can see this is a Malfoy game. Get out before I alert your father and plunge you into deep trouble."

Scorpius played his final, desperate card. "You loved his mother. I don't remember everything. I know you loved his mother. Harry's mother. Lily. I know you spent years undercover. I know without you the war could never have been won. How would I know this if I hadn't seen the other world?"

I knew something that had been left out of the history books. On purpose. "Lily Potter was my great Aunt. My grandmother was Petunia Dursley. Umbridge killed my mother who was a witch, stole me and raised me as her own. In THIS world. In my world that evil woman is in Azkaban."

Snape says nothing, overwhelmed. Scorpius took this as an opportunity. "Only Dumbledore knew, am I right? And when you lost him you must have felt so alone. I know you're a good man. Harry Potter told his son you're a great man."

Snape looks at Scorpius unsure what's going on. Is this a trick? He is quite seriously at loss. "Harry Potter is dead."

Scorpius shook his head in denial. "Not in my world. He said you were the bravest man he'd ever met. He knew, you see he knew your secret, what you did for Dumbledore. And he admired you for it greatly. And that's why he named his son our best friend, after you both. Albus Severus Potter."

Snape stopped. He was deeply moved.

"Please, sir" I begged. "For Lily, for the world, help us."

Snape thinks and then walked up to Scorpius, taking out his wand as he does. Scorpius stepped back, scared. Snape fired his wand at the door. "Colloportus!" An invisible lock slammed into place. Snape opened a hatch at the back of the classroom. "Well, come on, then…"

I was ready for a little faith and walked towards him. Scorpius grabbed my arm. "Just a question, but where exactly are we going?"

Snape kept walking, expecting us to follow. "We've had to move many times. Everywhere we've settled they destroyed. This will take us to a room hidden in the roots of the Whomping Willow."

Scorpius let me go. "Okay, who's we?"

Snape chuckled. "Oh. You'll see."

As soon as we walked in to the small room Scorpius was pinned to the table by a magnificent-looking Hermione. Her clothes faded, her eyes blazing, she was full warrior now and it rather suited her, at least I thought it did. I mean, sure she had used a spell to tie me up and bind me to the wall, but still.

Hermione. "You make one more move and your brain will be a frog and your arms will be rubber."

Snape called out. "Safe. He's safe. You know you never could listen. You were a terrible bore of a student and you're a terrible bore of whatever you are."

Hermione glared up at Snape. "I was an excellent student."

Snape disagreed. "You were moderate to average. He's on our side!"

Scorpius tried unsuccessfully to look up. "I am, Hermione."

Hermione looked at Scorpius, still very distrustful. "Most people know me as Granger. And I don't believe a word you say, Malfoy."

Scorpius almost cried. "It's all my fault. My fault. And Albus'."

"And I mine." I was ready to cry. "And we always called you Aunt Hermione."

Hermione let up a teensy bit. "Albus? Albus Dumbledore? What's Albus Dumbledore got to do with this?"

Snape untied me. "He doesn't mean Dumbledore. You may need to sit down."

Ron ran in. His hair spiked. His clothes scruffy. He is slightly less good at the rebel look than Hermione is, but he was still a welcome sight to me.

Ron glared at Snape. "A royal visit, and.. " He sees me and Scorpius and is immediately alarmed. "What are they doing here?"

He fumbled out his wand. "I'm armed and entirely dangerous and seriously advise you…" He realized his wand is the wrong way around and turns it right. "To be very careful."

What I did next was foolish but I couldn't help it. I ran at Ron and threw myself in to his arms sobbing causing him to stumble back. He patted my back awkwardly. "Well now…"

Snape sighed. "They're safe, Ron."

Ron kept patting my back. It felt so normal. "Thank Dumbledore for that."

I fell asleep being cradled in arms and smells that were like home. I just wanted to go home.

When I awoke Hermione was sitting studying the Time-Turner as Ron tried to digest it all.

Ron gently removed me from his lap when he saw I was awake. "So you're telling me that the whole of history rests on… Neville Longbottom? This is pretty wild."

Hermione looked up. "It's true, Ron."

Ron still seemed skeptical. "Right. And you're sure because…?"

Hermione waved an arm. "What they know about Snape about all of us there's no way they could…"

Ron patted me. "Maybe he's a really good guesser? And he dragged this poor girl…"

Scorpius laughed. "I'm not. Can you help?"

Ron rubbed his beard. "We're the only ones that can. Dumbledore's Army has shrunk considerably since its peak. In fact, we're pretty much all that's left, but we've kept fighting on. Hiding in plain sight. Doing our best to tickle their nose hairs. Granger here is a wanted woman. I'm a wanted man."

Snape remarked drily. "Less wanted."

Hermione looked at us. "To be clear In this other world… ? Before you meddled?"

Scorpius held out his hand and started ticking things off. "Voldemort is dead. Killed in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry is Head of Magical Law Enforcement. You're Minister for Magic."

Hermione stopped, surprised by this, she looks up with a smile. "I'm Minister for Magic?"

Ron wanted to join the fun. "Brilliant. What do I do?"

Scorpius looked at him. "You are an Auror. My Dad's partner in fact."

Ron looked down crest. "Okay, so, she's Minister for Magic and I get Malfoy as a partner?"

Scorpius looked at Ron's hurt face. "Well… you're mostly focused on bringing up your kids."

Ron grinned at this. "Great. I expect their mother is hot."

Scorpius and I looked at each other blushing. "Well… Um… Depends what you think of… The thing is, you two sort of have kids together. A daughter and a son. Married. In love. Everything. You were shocked the other time too. When you were Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Ron was married to Padma. You're constantly surprised by it."

"That is how come you are my Aunt and Uncle." I explained. "Because you and Uncle Harry are all still best friends and…"

"And you are Dudley's daughter." Ron looked at me. I nodded.

Hermione and Ron both looked at each other and then look away. And then Ron looks back. Ron cleared his throat repeatedly. With less conviction each time.

Hermione snapped. "Close your mouth when you're looking at me, Weasley."

Ron did so. Though he remains discombobulated. "And Snape? What does Snape do in this other world?"

Snape looked at Ron evenly. "I'm dead, presumably."

He looked at Scorpius, whose face dropped. Snape smiled thinly. "You were a little too surprised to see me. How?"

Scorpius choked up only said. "Bravely. My mother was devastated by your loss."

Snape smiled at the mention of Alya. "Who?"

Scorpius tried to look him in the eye and failed. "Voldemort."

Snape just sneered. "How very irritating."