Disclaimers: Anything or
anyone you don't recognise belongs to me, especially Eltala Riddle, and Lily
Snape. Everything else belongs to J K Rowlings. I haven't, and I won't make any
money out of this!
Please R/R if you want me to
continue!!! Even if you don't!
A new
beginning - Chapter Eight
"You're here, Harry. Good,
well, come in."
It was the first time Harry
had been in the Potion Master's office, and he certainly didn't want to again.
The walls were grey stone, almost green with algae - very uneven. There were
pictures on the wall, but they were gruesome, even painful looking pictures.
Except one.
Harry recognised that one
painting, as his father and mother. He would never forget those laughing eyes,
those happy smiles - that looked so out of place, in James Potter's Archenemy's
office.
"Sit down, you may be here
quite a while. I have a long story to tell you." Snape's voice sounded so
determined, that it almost frightened Harry, but he did as he was told.
"When I saw you sitting with
Lily and Eltala, it made my decision even more necessary. I have already told
Lily. You do know who Tom Riddle is, don't you? And who Eltala Riddle is?"
"Yeah, I know. Something to
do with a sorceress and being the daughter of Voldemort. What have you told
Lily, Professor?" asked Harry nervously.
"I don't know about her
being the sorceress. I suppose it makes some sense. Anyway I had a daughter.
No, not Lily, her name was Samantha. On the same day, in the same hospital,
twins were born to a couple; to a man I had never gotten on well with. Somehow,
there was a mix up. Samantha's mother died in child birth, and if that wasn't
enough, the incompetent hospital staff mistook my daughter, for the girl in
that set of twins." Snape paused, but then went on.
"It took a year to realise
what had happened, and by then I had become attached to the couple's daughter.
Anyway, the couple had been murdered. It made sense that I should take back my
own daughter, and the son was sent to other relatives. So now I had two 'daughters',
Lily and Samantha. I must admit I didn't treat Lily, as I should have. In fact
it probably might be more accurate to say, I mistreated her. I hated her, for
being that couple's daughter, and not my own. They hadn't deserved her. She was
so nice, so good, that I felt it wasn't fair."
"A few months ago, however,
Samantha was killed, by the same monstrous creature, that had killed Lily's
parents. It was because I had denounced him. Always my fault. In my grief, I
realised how wrong I had been to Lily. I decided she should have the life, and
the future, that my own daughter was denied. So I brought her here" Snape
seemed to consider he had explained everything, but Harry was very confused.
"But sir… Why are you
telling me this?"
"Oh, don't you understand?
The couple was James and Lily Potter! Lily is your twin. And as I have become
her stepfather, it automatically makes me the stepfather of Lily's twin. You.
Think over what I have said. If ever you need a home, away from those Muggle
fools, you will always find one in Hogsmeade, with us."
Harry was speechless. All
along, he had thought himself an only child. Now he had a twin? A new home? A
stepfather? Snape? Severus Snape – the new Severus, as Harry regarded him –
seemed to honestly care about him. But Harry had an idea that he might already
have a home in Sirius.
"Umm, thanks for the offer.
Yesterday I would have jumped at it. But now? You know who the new Defence
Against Dark Arts teacher is, don't you?" Harry stopped, as it had become clear
that Snape did not.
"Sirius Black has been
proven innocent, and - " Snape's face contorted with fury, as he guessed what
Harry had been hinting.
"Dumbledore wanted Him as
Defence Against Dark Arts teacher? And let me guess, you want to live with
him?" For a second Severus' voice had become the sarcastic snarl that Harry
recognised, but his face softened.
"I don't blame you. I
haven't been the most likeable of teachers, have I? But I'm changing. Think it
over. Maybe by the end of the term you'll change your mind. Maybe not. I'll
become one of your favourite Professors, at the very least – you see if I
don't."
Harry seriously doubted
this, but he was too polite to let it show. But then again, who could be sure?
Suddenly he had a sister - a twin at that - and a stepfather.
"You should probably go, or
McGonnagall will think I've done something to you, and she'll have my head for
keeping you here this long."
With a small mutter of good
bye, Harry left the office, vaguely realising he was going in the wrong direction,
to get him back to the Gryffindor Common Room. He was so confused about all he
had learnt. Why hadn't anyone told him? Sirius, Hagrid, Dumbledore, McGonagall
– someone, why? Didn't anyone know? And now, what did he want?
Harry's thoughts were
suddenly interrupted as Harry tripped over a figure lying on the ground. The
jolt brought Harry's mind back to earth, and he looked down, and saw a girl,
Eltala, lying on the ground, looking up at him, in the dim light.
"What are you doing here,
Eltala?"
"Hoping someone would come.
No one told me the new password. I guess you wouldn't know. What about you?"
"I was talking to Professor
Snape. It turns out I have a sister. A twin at that." Harry didn't know why he
was telling a Slytherin this. He didn't think she would care. But she did. Upon
hearing this, she jumped up.
"A sister? Alive? Here?"
Harry was taken back by the
sudden enthusiasm.
"Yeah… Why?"
"Don't worry about that. I
suppose you don't know one of your father's friends? And an ex-death eater who
hated him, but would be prepared to help bring him, and your mother back?"
"Bring back? Snape fits your
description. Why?" Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"This is something to do
with sorcery, doesn't it? Lavender found it in a book. You're the sorceress who
comes every 10 000 years aren't you?"
Eltala's voice dropped to a
growl. "Smart aren't you. I want to help you. I can bring your parents back. I
need one of your parents' friends. An ex-death eater who hates them all. And
two family relations. Is that available?"
"Yes, all at this school.
Sirius Black, Snape, my newly discovered sister – Lily – and me. But how can
you bring my parents back? Dumbledore said that no spell could bring someone
back from the dead."
"Technically he is correct.
But, I can, if the limitations are met, relive that time, and avoid certain
people from being killed. I would take Sirius, Snape, Lily, you and me back to
your parents schooldays. You and Lily, being younger, would only go back to
when you were born. The rest would go back to our first day of school at
Hogswarts.
Eltala sighed, and for a
second Harry thought he saw a tired mind underneath the childish mask.
"A tiresome procedure – as
it involves reliving all or some of your life-time - but worth it. If something goes wrong, we can always try again.
Only thing is, the rest of you would soon forget you weren't doing things for
the first time. I would keep my memories (so I could stop your parents being
killed), and at the end of that time, when the two times meet, your memories
will be restored, so as to give you the choice of the two realities." Eltala
spoke in a low whisper, as if trying to avoid anyone hearing what she said.
It seemed like Harry's dream
come true, but Eltala wasn't any older than he was, surely?
"Why would you go back
further? You're my age, aren't you?" Harry tried not to sound rude, but a hint
of scepticism slipped into his anxious voice.
"Age is but an illusion.
When I was expelled for trying to 'Murder young James Potter', I stopped aging
– until my magical training is complete, or at least in progress!" Eltala
snapped. "Now go get Lily, Sirius and Snape. Explain to them what I propose to
do."
The others had come, Sirius
under protest until he realised what was happening. Lily had hidden herself in
her dormy, and it took them a while to find her. Snape had come, seemingly just
to please Harry, but when he realised what was happening, he became
apprehensive. There was no chance of Harry wanting to live with Snape if his
parents were alive. The same with Lily, but maybe his precious Samantha would
be alive then.
The troupe of bedraggled
witches and wizards arrived to where Eltala had been. She had drawn (or so it
seemed) a white chalk circle, big enough for the group to sit in, and a glowing
crystal had been placed in the centre.
Sirius walked apprehensively
into the circle – amazed that he would be doing something, willingly with his
archenemy Severus Snape, and the girl who had tried to kill his best friend,
whose father had succeeded on killing his best friend.
"Sit down, make yourself
comfortable – you'll be sitting here for two, maybe three decades. Are you
ready?" Eltala looked around at the faces of huddled group. Fear, hesitation,
anticipation, and hatred. They all chorused back – "Ready." And so she started.
"Aio ghaiso lifle gsitoh
jamet hoite fhels mabmo lili qwostom…" The chant went seemingly on forever, and
all the colour faded away into a black, cold vortex. Gradually colour came back
in to focus, in a different place, with some very changed people.
