A Shadow from the Past

By: The Duck  -- but now by Mae Noelle

A/N: Please note that Chapter One takes place the same day as the Prologue only later that night. The beginning of the chappie takes place a long while before the prologue did, even though at the end it is later in the day of the first chapter… do you understand, kindof? Well, just read, and you will probably understand. The first part takes place in Sevvies seventh year, ok?

Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine, never will be. Plot is Duckys, and she just gave it to me. Weee.

~*~Chapter 1~*~

Severus tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear as he gently set a lid over the current potion he was working on.

Breathing a sight, he stepped back from the large cauldron he had been hunched over for a least an hour. Walking across the otherwise empty room, he carefully wet a plain white washcloth in the small basin of cool water that was always kept in the corner of the room.

Squeezing the excess water from the piece of cloth, he pressed it against his face, which was feeling flushed with the tedious work he had been doing.

It had been a very long Saturday indeed. While all the other students of appropriate age had gone off to Hogsmede with their friends to enjoy the day, he had stayed at Hogwarts working on his Seventh year research project with his Potions Professor.

Glancing quickly of the potion he had been experimenting with for several weeks now, he smiled to himself. If his research proved to be correct then the wizarding transportation would take a great leap forward. He had been working on ways of transportation using only potions, something that had not yet been done.

The potion, if it worked, would enable the drinker to be able to travel anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye. It was simpler then apparition, and more convenient then Floo Powder.

Tossing the washcloth into the basin, he sat down at his worktable, glancing at the clock hanging on the wall. He estimated that in about five minutes the potion would need to be stirred again.

He relaxed back into his chair. He was rather proud of himself at the moment. After all, he still had about a month until his eighteenth birthday, and he was already well on his way to being the wizarding worlds' youngest Potions Master in about 200 years. Not only this, but his Professor had mentioned something about speaking to a friend about getting his work on the transportation potion published.

Releasing a breath he had unconsciously been holding, he realized that his hand had traveled to his neck, pulling out a long, thin chain and was not fiddling with the miniature silver hourglass attached to it. He had requested to do many more classes in his seventh year, and Dumbledore had made it possible by giving him this small device. So that he could go back and work on more classes.

Thinking about time, he suddenly looked back up at the clock. About time for one last stir before letting the potion sit and cool, and then he could bottle it.

Standing up quickly and striding over to the cauldron, he lifted the heavy iron lid off of it to reveal a bright, shimmering silver potion. He mentally smiled at his own handy work; it looked just as he had thought it would.

Grabbing the large ladle-like-object he used to stir before, he dipped it into the potion, and began to stir in a slow clockwise motion.

Potion brewing had always been one of his favorite things to do, it was so calculated and graceful. Not only did it have a certain stress-relieving factor to it, he could just loose himself as he made them. It was a powerful, pleasurable action that had become his device for getting through emotional problems in recent years.

Without warning, he suddenly heard the sound of a plop. His eyes snapped open just in time to see the top of the time turner be enveloped by the potion.

He brought his hand to his chest, where his chain was dangling, free of it's weight.

He groaned, and took two stumbling steps backward, trying to calculate what would happen when the volatile time turner was added to the Transportation potion.

The potion was slowly turning a deep red, and began to bubble feverously.

"Shit!" He whispered, stepping back a bit more, watching the entire iron cauldron turn orange with the heat.

Pulling out his wand, thinking quickly of how to clean this up, he brought it out in front of him, just as the potion exploded.

He heard the loud bang, but, it suddenly seemed far away.

At this point he felt like he was floating high above the floor, as though he was a ghost. And then without warning he felt himself being pulled forward very quickly, while a rushing wind passed his ears. Well, he thought spitefully. If my potion takes you places like this, it wouldn't be so bad…

Trying to open his eyes, he caught a glipse of swirls of colors, dazing him, and he squinted them shut again.

After a few minutes of this, Severus wondered if he was going to stay in this warp tunnel forever, he started twisting and turning in different directions and finally, everything slowed again as he seemed to fall back to earth.

Severus blinked several times trying to clear his vision - everything was still blurred and far away. With great effort he forced himself to focus. He was lying on something cold and hard he was in a lot of pain and he simply couldn't force himself to move.

He felt a warm drop of blood slide down the back of his neck. His head hurt beyond that of normal pain, and everything was spinning. He began to close his eyes, wishing for peace, and heard a soft voice echoing around him, definitely a females'.

He opened his eyes slightly again, slow thoughts about why the time turner decided to fall off at that moment floating through his brain.

A soft, flickering light illuminated the girl. Her eyes were soft, but filled much concern.

She looks a bit like an angel, he thought slowly, closing his eyes a last time.

~*~

Hermione pulled her cloak tighter around her thin shoulders as she went down the stairs that lead to the dungeons. She held a small candle out a few feet in front of her, as she slowly walked, listening for sounds of any students out after hours.

As head girl it was her duty to help the staff do Midnight rounds. Even though Dumbledore had told her she was under no obligation to do her rounds tonight, she had insisted upon it. She conveniently forgot to tell him that she was too afraid to sleep.

All of her recent dreams had turned into haunting nightmares of that final battle, and it was always the same. She would play out those last horrid moments in which she had seen many of her friends die, and …

She emitted a little cry, and blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision.

The dreams always included the moment when she had been fighting off dementors, and when Voldemort himself had aimed his wand at her, uttering the murdering curse, and when Severus had seen it and had pushed her out of the way…

She shook her head furiously, trying to make the horrible thoughts go away. She knew she needed to stop dwelling on it so much, after all, there wasn't a thing she could do to change the past.

She blinked back the tears as she looked at her surroundings. It was a very cold in the Dungeons tonight, and the soft light of the candle cast eerie shadows on the walls that she had seen so many times before.

Out of the darkness in front of her she heard a soft groan. Every muscle in her body seemed to jump into full alert mode. She walked cautiously forward, her fingers gripped tightly around the wand in her pocket, preparing herself a large speech about staying up after hours and going about the castle.

After a few more steps she found the source of the sounds. A small figure was sprawled on the flagstone floor, slightly leaning against the cold stone walls.

Quickly setting down her candle, she kneeled next to the figure as she took out her wand.

She reached under the man's stomach, attempting to turn him over on his back. She stared for a moment at his face, feeling for a pulse on his neck.

Well, he was alive.

"Hello? Are you awake? Can you tell me anything?" She watched as his eyes fluttered open, and closed again, and then fluttered back open.

It was no one that she knew, though he looked vaguely familiar. He looked her age, however, and from the Slytherin crest on his robe she knew that he was part of the Slytherin house.

Waiting a minute for a  reply, she stood quickly, uttered "Mobilicorpus," turned, and walked quickly back down the corridor, making for the Hospital wing.

~*~

Eeeee that was hard. I thought it would be easy changing around my friend's already-written-chappie, but it wasn't. I kept finding spots where I wanted to add stuff and take away stuffs. But, I hope that is ok for now. Will write more later, after I find some inspiration. How about you review and give it to me? Huh? Huh? Awww, thank you.