LILY POTTER AND THE CHANGE OF TIME
Warning – This is the sequel to Harry Potter, Time Traveler. If you have not read, Harry Potter, Time Traveler, I would highly recommend it as this story will get very confusing. You may not recognize many of the characters and may have no idea what is going on if you do not read it.
Summary – Harry Potter is supposed to be dead. But thanks to the Book of Time and a little time traveling back in his fifth year, he is now alive. Now Lily must overcome the obstacles of being a typical teenage witch and finding out where time got changed because you never want to mess with fate. Sometimes it does not always come out for the best…but yet…sometimes it does.
Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter, the characters, or the Harry Potter world. They all belong to the fabulous J.K. Rowling. However, while I do not own their names, the characters and the personality traits of Lily Potter, Eddie Weasley, Daris Malfoy, Christof Nott, as well as Asher Lazard and Robyn Andrews all belong to me.
Chapter 3 – Big Decisions:
"You are all in for it," snarled the Potions master, Professor Severus Snape, shaking his head miserably. "It is illegal for witches and wizards to fool around with time this way. I held my tongue when Potter accidentally came here from the past but this is just outrageous. I will personally make sure that the Ministry will see to this!"
"See to what?" snapped Sirius, whipping around and narrowing his eyes dangerously at Snape. "A fine, good-hearted man was saved from a horrible fate. What are you going to report to the Ministry?"
"For fooling with time," Snape retorted, leaning against his cane and looking at Sirius menacingly. "And as I just stated; it's against the law, Black!"
"See how much I bloody care about what the Ministry thinks!" shouted Sirius, almost advancing on Snape. "In my opinion, as long as my godson is alive, healthy, and fighting on the right side, I am perfectly content with this new change!"
"Unfortunately for you, Black, your opinion is not the one that counts, is it?" sneered Snape, his black eyes sparkling with malice. "And perhaps others will not be as thrilled about this change as you are."
"What exactly are you saying, Severus?" asked Remus slowly, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder to prevent him from pouncing or cursing the Potions Master. Sirius' face was bright red with anger and his fists were clenched inside his robes, as though looking desperately for his wand. Remus needed to try and control the situation before things got completely out of hand. It was always unwise to place Sirius Black and Severus Snape in the same room.
"Things shouldn't have changed, Lupin," said Snape, now narrowing his eyes at the other Marauder. "Things should have stayed the way they are because that is what was meant to happen. I know you all were not happy with how things turned out, but that's how it is and you all need to learn to accept it."
"You're crazy!" shouted Sirius, but Remus shushed him and nodded to Snape, encouraging him to continue.
"Harry Potter disrupted time and he changed his fate when it already happened. I cannot begin to imagine the consequences that he and his daughter, along with the rest of you, will have to endure," said Snape, frowning, almost disapprovingly at Sirius and Remus. Sirius on the other hand, ignored Snape and let out a frustrated grown.
"What bloody consequences?" he asked in an exasperated voice. "What are the so-called negative consequences are there going to be when one of the most powerful and noble wizards in the world is on the side of the good?"
"One of the most powerful and noble wizards alive, you say?" sneered Snape. "Excuse me, if I think you're bias, Black, because he's your godson. If it were any other wizard you would careless and you would agree with me." Sirius narrowed his eyes.
"You know what Snape?" asked Sirius in mock pleasantries. Snape raised an eyebrow. "You're absolutely right! Harry Potter is my godson and, yes, that fact alone makes me happier to see him alive than any other wizard. And you know what? I am not the only wizard here who is thrilled with his return. And do you know why that is, Severus? It is because many witches and wizards in this world love him. Love! Which we all know is something you've never shown to anyone!"
"How dare you-" Snape started advancing on Sirius, who already had his wand at the ready.
"Stop this!" shouted Remus abruptly, bravely stepping between the two men. "This bickering isn't necessary. The fact of the matter is that Harry is alive. We need to learn to handle it. And no matter how bias I may be towards Harry, I think I speak for the entire wizarding world, with the exception of Voldemort and his Death Eaters, when I say that I am glad that Harry is alive, even if Snape refuses to admit it."
"I'm afraid you're wrong, Remus" came a hoarse voice from the doorway. The three older men turned around to see a tall, skinny figure standing in there. "The entire wizarding world is definitely not happy at the fact that I am here…" The man stepped out of the shadows and into Remus' office; it was Harry and he looked absolutely miserable. His shoulders were slumped over, his eyes were glazed over with sadness to the point that they looked almost gray, and his face was pale.
"Harry?" Sirius questioned as he strode over to him. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"It's Lily," was all Harry. Even at his own words, Harry buried his face in his hands and tried to overcome the tears that were now forming in his throat and were threatening to fall down his face.
"Lily?" asked Remus, puzzled.
"What's wrong with Lily?" asked Sirius in an urgent concern. He placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder but Harry politely brushed it off. Sirius raised a concerned eyebrow but made no comment.
"Lily…she was never a big fan of change, was she?" asked Harry, almost bitterly, still rubbing his hands over his face.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's Lily…Lily…she prefers…" Harry could not bring himself to finish his sentence. He gave a loud, desperate dry sob and just stared at the ground, as though he were ashamed of himself. Sirius, despite Harry's earlier protest, placed another hand on his shoulder and gave it a tight clench.
"Harry?" Sirius asked, his own voice shaking, coming to the realization of what Harry was trying to tell him. "Go on…Lily prefers what?"
"She…she prefers things…the way thing that they used to be…" Harry's voice agonizingly trailed off.
"How things used to be?"
"You mean when you became Death Eater and then died saving her and Sirius?"
"Yes," said Harry defeated, eyes shut tight.
"WHAT?" Sirius, Remus, and even Snape shouted in unison. Harry sighed and his shoulders slumped.
"That's what she said," he said quietly. "There's really nothing else to say about it really…"
"And you believed her?" asked Remus slowly, and slightly incredulously.
"Of course," said Harry without hesitation, looking annoyed. "Why wouldn't I believe her? Lily has always been pretty open and honest with her feelings. She wouldn't lie to me about something this serious."
"But, Harry, you have to understand the emotional trauma right she is going through right now," said Remus, almost urgently. "That…she is in no position to make important decisions like that! You have to understand that? You understand that, don't you?" Harry was clearly not listening to Remus's outburst because he was shaking his head; completely ignoring his comments. Only Sirius noticed this and sighed, completely defeated.
"What if I talked to her?" asked Sirius, gently. "I usually have a way of getting through to her." Harry continued to shake his head.
"No," he said quietly. "That's not necessary. Besides, I don't want anyone influencing her decision or trying to change how she feels. She told me what she wanted and I want her to be happy. Lily knows what she wants. And if this is what it takes to her happy, then it's what I need to do." Sirius let out a choked, incredulous laugh.
"Do you hear yourself, Harry? That's the bloody problem!" shouted Sirius, throwing up his hands in frustration, still somewhat laughing. "You have to realize that's what Remus is trying to tell you. Lily doesn't know what she wants! She's not in the right state of mind to tell you such a thing."
"Before you make any hasty decisions, Harry, there's something that you need to know," said Remus, interrupting Sirius's outburst. Remus knew that he heard Harry's attention because he had stopped shaking his head. Sirius and Snape were looking at the man curiously. "Just before you…the fifteen year old you… left a couple of hours ago, Lily commented that would want to keep you around forever if she could. It does not make any sense now that you're permanently here that would want things back to the way they were."
"Bugger, I'm confused," muttered Harry as he ran a frustrated hair down his face, causing his glasses to become askew.
"Lily is confused too, Harry," said Remus, softly, moving to stand next to his best friend's son. "In fact, I'm sure that she is more confused than you are. She's only fifteen years old and she has already been through so much in her life. You coming back from the dead just adds to the list; a list that has made her life even more complicated than it already is, being the daughter of the Boy Who Lived and all."
"Hermione said the same thing," said Harry, sounding tired.
"And she's absolutely right!"
"Don't you understand, Harry? She must feel completely lost and scared," continued Remus desperately, trying to get Harry to see reason.
"Though she'll never admit to that," mumbled Harry sarcastically. Remus ignored him and continued his rant.
"Lily is not in a right state of mind!" Remus was nearly shouting now and Harry had never seen him learn his nerve like that. "She doesn't know what to think. Personally, right now, I don't think she's emotionally prepared to accept this change right now. But, if you gave her a chance to accept and embrace this change, I don't think she'll make the same decision. I think that once she's in a right state, she'll want different things. I think if you give Lily some time, she'll want you to stay. If you start making hasty decisions now, Harry, in her emotional position, you'll both regret it."
"I…I don't understand…" said Harry, staring as though he could not believe what was happening before him.
"Don't you think you should give Lily some time to adjust to all of this?" asked Remus, gently placing a comforting hand on the young man's shoulder.
Harry finally looked up from the floor for the first time in minutes and stared at Remus thoughtfully. He was clearly and trying to slowly take in everything Remus had just told him about Lily. The truth be told, Harry had to agree with Remus on a lot of levels; Lily had been through a lot in her life, adding to her grades, her Quidditch, her hormones, and sooner or later, the boys. Harry shivered at the thought and brushed it off, deciding that now was not the right time to discuss Lily's love life. Before he could ponder anymore on Lily and the decision that she had made, Snape interrupted his thoughts.
"You know Potter," snapped Snape, spitting out Harry's surname as though it were dirt on his tongue. Harry narrowed his eyes at the Potions Master, but nodded to show that he was listening. "For once I agree with the werewolf. He and the Headmistress make a whole lot of sense." Sirius glared dangerously at him while Remus just rolled his eyes at the immaturity of it all.
"Please, just give her some time," said Remus, comfortingly squeezing Harry's shoulder. "I promise you, she'll come around." Sirius nodded in agreement.
"Lily is a smart girl, Harry," said Sirius. "If she was not on some kind of emotional broomstick ride, she wouldn't knowingly do something as stupid as push you out of her life forever. She loves you." Harry sighed and shook his head again.
"I don't know guys," he said uncertainly. "I just want her to be happy…"
"But little do you know, Harry," started Remus smiling, "that you being here makes her happy." Harry groaned now. This time he no longer sounded defeated; he sounded annoyed and frustrated.
"If me being alive makes her happy," snapped Harry, "then why does she want me dead again?"
"Like we've been trying to tell you Harry," said Sirius, also sounding impatient, "Lily just doesn't know what she wants yet. She's in no emotional condition to make a decision like that!"
"Listen to me Potter!" snapped Snape, sounding completely infuriated with the other three men in the room. "Your daughter may be thick headed, stubborn, arrogant, self-centered, and in serious need of an attitude adjustment (Harry's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched with every word) but she's not stupid! If I must be honest, she is one of the most intelligent witches I've seen in a long time to be honest, other than the Headmistress. I'm sure she'll make the right choice in the long run."
"Insult Lily Julia Potter again and see if I don't curse you into the next millennium," snarled Sirius, fingering his wand.
"You're much too bias to notice her flaws, Black" said Snape coolly. He pulled his own wand out of his robes and began to twirl it with his long, sallow, white fingers. Sirius charged forward.
"You slimy-" Remus grabbed on to the back of Sirius's robes to stop him from keeping his word and hexing Snape into the next millennium.
"STOP THIS!" shouted Harry in a pleading cry. "Can't you two stop fighting just for one bloody minute? I mean, can't you put your differences aside to think about what is going on? I have completely changed the course of time, here!"
There was a long, pregnant silence as Sirius looked down at his feet, resembling a child who got his hand stuck in the cookie jar. Remus smiled at Harry proudly and Snape refused to meet Harry's eye. Finally, Sirius whispered;
"You're absolutely right, Harry. We've been acting like damn fools…" Remus nodded in agreement before letting out a heated breath.
"I reckon we should go get some dinner," suggested Remus. "I know with all of this confusion and excitement, we've all forgotten to eat something. Plus, Hermione and Ron are probably already waiting for us in the Great Hall."
"Excuse my rudeness, but I think I'll stay head to my office," snarled Snape, limping out of the room and down the corridor. The three men shrugged and also left Remus's office and headed towards the Great Hall. As they walked in, Harry realized that Remus had been right; Hermione had been waiting for them because the moment she caught sight of them, she strode up to them, all smiles.
"Harry, you need to go to my office immediately," she ordered, pointing into the general direction of her office.
"Hermione, I haven't eaten all day and I'm hungry!" Harry all but whined. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"You've been hanging out with Ron far too often," she said impatiently. "Now go! I promise you, you won't regret it."
"Yes your Royal Highness," mumbled Harry sarcastically as he turned on heel and walked out of the Great Hall, clearly annoyed. He had, in fact, been hungry. To his immense surprise, Sirius and Remus also turned around and walked beside him through the corridors as he walked towards Hermione's office as ordered. Harry could not help but smile at their gesture. It felt good having his father's two best friends walking by his side, especially after everything he had done his…well…his other past. Through that simple gesture, Harry felt loved, wanted, and protected. He felt as long they stood beside him, everything would all be okay.
They entered Hermione's office in a comfortable silence and Harry's breath hitched in his throat when he saw who was there. Lily was sitting at Hermione's desk, just resting her head against the back of the chair with her eyes closed. Everyone knew that she was not asleep, so she had to be in deep thought. Eddie was also there, sitting in a chair in front of the desk, looking at Lily with the utmost concern and care. Then Harry's emerald green eyes fell on a pretty woman with a long mane of fiery red hair, a patch of freckles, and warm chocolate brown eyes; it was Ginny Weasley, His eyes widened and Harry suddenly found it difficult to breath. He could even feel Sirius gasp and Remus stiffen beside him.
"Hi Harry!" said Ginny cheerfully, striding across the room and throwing her arms around Harry's neck. Harry sat there wide-eyed, with his arms open in total shock and it was several moments before he wrapped his arms around Ginny to give her an awkward, yet somehow comforting hug back. Ginny pulled away and looked at him with twinkling eyes. Though, as she looked at him, Harry noted the deep sadness that they also held and it made his stomach lurch, knowing he caused it by denying them a relationship with one another. "How is the Boy Who Lived nowadays?"
"F-Fine," he said quietly, unable to meet her exquisite face. "How are you doing, Ginny?" He chanced a glance at his daughter and saw that she was no longer deep in thought, but staring at him intently, as though waiting for some kind of explosion.
"Oh, you know," said Ginny said with a playful shrug, "giving myself some early gray hairs by constantly avoiding Bludgers with the Harpies. You know how it is."
"No," said Harry with a chuckle, shaking his head. "No, I'm afraid I don't. Maybe you should enlighten me on the joys of being a professional Quidditch player." Ginny giggled and looked up at Harry with curious eyes. How long they stared at each other, Harry was not sure. All he knew was that it probably made Lily and Eddie extremely uncomfortable because Eddie began clearing his throat loudly. To the two teenagers' immense surprise, Harry and Ginny ignored them and continued to stare longingly at one another.
"Ginny…I…"
At that precise moment, Ron busted into Hermione's office, breathing loudly and clearly out of breath; as though he had just ran a marathon.
"GINNY?" Ron cried out with joy. Harry and Ginny jumped and she looked at her brother wide-eyed, clutching her chest.
"Bugger, Ron, you scared the hell out of me!" But, Ron ignored Ginny's comment and he practically leaped at his sister and pulled her into a back breaking hug to the point where she was not touching the ground. Ginny was quite startled, but graciously returned the hug with a small smile on her face.
"Wow Ron, I…erm…missed you too…?" she said through her giggles. Hermione came running into the office, clearly running after Ron. Tears began to well in her eyes as the sight of her husband and bus sister embracing in such a way.
"Oh Ginny," he whispered in a hoarse voice. "I've missed my little sister so much!"
"Merlin's beard, Ron, you're acting like you haven't seen me in years," she said laughing. "You saw me last week at Sunday brunch at the Burrow…"
"I'm sorry. It just seems a lot longer than that," Ron whispered as he set his sister down and backed away.
Harry turned away, wishing that he could embrace Ginny in a similar manner. But, he knew that was not possible. Feeling Hermione's eyes on him, he chanced a glance at his daughter instead. Lily was still sitting at Hermione's desk, except she was no longer watching him. Instead, she was shuffling her feet and biting her nail as she stared off into space; not looking at anything in particular. Lily must have felt his eyes on her because she took one quick look at Harry and quickly turned away, as though she were ashamed to make eye contact with her father. Harry sighed and looked at his own two feet, hands in the pockets of his robes. He wondered what Lily was thinking. Did she still not want him around? Did she feel guilty about what she had told Harry? Or, had she changed her mind?
"Ginny, how are you?" Ron asked breathlessly, beaming down at his sister.
"Well, like I was telling Harry," she started, gesturing towards Harry, "I've just been keeping up with the new recruits on the Harpies; avoiding Bludgers. Sometimes I think my Chaser arm is going to give you on me…"
"Harpies? Bludgers? Chaser?" asked Ron, puzzled. "Ginny, you play for the Holyhead Harpies? You're a professional Quidditch Player?" Ginny looked at her brother confusedly and threw her head back and laughed.
"Bloody hell, Ron, where have you been the last decade?" asked Ginny incredulously. "I was drafted out of Hogwarts, paid my dues and played on the Reserve Team for a good five years, and then they moved me to starting Chaser. Do you listen to anything I say? Merlin, Hermione, you weren't kidding when you said he had the attention span of a five year old." Hermione blushed as her husband threw her a dirty look.
"We know, Gin," said Harry, using his old nickname for her. "We're all very proud of everything you've accomplished. Ron's just daft." Ginny beamed up at him and Harry felt his heart pound hard against his chest.
"I already knew that, Harry," said Ginny, playfully rolling her eyes. Ron rolled his eyes angrily and turned to his wife.
"I need to talk to you privately, Hermione," muttered Ron, before strutting out of the room, tripping on his way out. Everyone with the exception of Harry and Lily laughed at Ron's sudden attitude change and his clumsiness. Hermione shrugged and followed him out of the room.
"Well as entertaining as all of this has been," muttered Lily as she rose to her feet, "I think I've had enough. I'm going to get some dinner." Lily brushed past Harry and out of the office, without looking at him or saying anything to him. Eddie followed his best friend and raised an angry eyebrow at Harry, as though Harry had done something to hurt Lily and it was his entire fault for Lily's behavior. Sirius and Remus must have noticed Lily's attitude towards Harry and gave him looks of sorrow and pity. They knew more than anything that all Harry wanted was the love and acceptance of his daughter, but everyone knew with Lily's stubbornness and attitude that it would be very difficult for him to get past the emotional walls.
Ginny must have also noticed Lily's persona towards Harry and walked up to him, placing a comforting hand on his forearm, looking both concerned and confused.
"What's wrong with Lily-Flower?" asked Ginny, looking directly at Harry. "She seems…angrier than usual." Harry shrugged.
"I really couldn't tell you," said Harry, shaking his head. "I suppose its teenage girl problems."
"You and Ron, always blaming it on female emotions," said Ginny, rolling her eyes and smacking Harry lightly on the arm. "She looked awfully peeved at you. Did you two get into a fight or did you give her some sort of 'unfair' punishment?"
"No," said Harry, shaking his head again, wishing that he could open up to her like he always used to be able to. When he did not say anything else, Ginny knew that there was no point in trying to tear down the walls.
"She just seemed really upset," said Ginny thoughtfully.
"I know, Gin, I know," said Harry regrettably, finally looking at her face. It was like staring directly into the sun. "I wish there was something I could do about it." He brushed off her hand; a hand that was providing him with more comfort than she would ever know. "I have to go. But…it was good to see you, Gin."
"It was good to see you too," she whispered, looking crestfallen. Harry nodded at Sirius and Remus to follow him and the three of them left the office and went to the Room of Requirement where no one would be able to overhear their conversation. When they arrived, the saw a room that greatly resembled the Gryffindor Common Room complete with sofas, armchairs, and a roaring fire in a fireplace.
"Are you okay Harry?" asked Sirius in concern as he took a seat in the armchair across from him. "I know that seeing Ginny could not have been easy for you." Remus took the other as Harry sat down slowly on the sofa and stared directly into the fireplace for what seemed like hours, clearly deep in his thoughts. Finally, he broke the silence.
"I've come to a decision Padfoot…Moony…" said Harry firmly, leaning his elbows on his knees, still staring into the fireplace. Sirius and Remus shared a nervous look before turning to look back at Harry.
"And what decision would that be?" asked Remus slowly.
"This change in time that I have created and how Lily feels about it," said Harry, still not looking at the two elder men. Sirius gave a frustrated groan.
"Merlin, Harry, forget about what Lily said about how she feels!" Sirius nearly shouted impatiently. "Like Remus told you…even Snape said! She'll come around."
"No," said Harry, "no, I don't think she will. She wouldn't even look at me." Sirius opened his mouth to retort but Harry put up his hand to silence him. "This is my decision Sirius and no one is going to change my mind."
"What decision did you make, Harry?" asked Remus softly, looking at Harry earnestly.
"I'm going to do what Lily wants…what she practically requested," said Harry, still staring blindly into the fire. Sirius and Remus were holding their breath. "I'm going to use the Book of Time to travel back in time and to fix what I changed."
"What…what are you saying…?" Harry gave an impatient sigh.
"I'm going to change everything back to the way things used to be; they way that they're supposed to be," stated Harry firmly. Sirius stood up and took on of the candlesticks that were resting on the mantle over the fireplace and threw it against the opposite wall. Harry and Remus jumped to their feet in surprise. Remus even pulled out his wand.
"Sirius!"
"WHY?" bellowed Sirius, placing himself right in Harry's face. "Why would you want to ever do that?"
"It's what Lily wants!" said Harry defensively, glaring at his godfather. "Like you, Sirius, all I want is for Lily to be happy…"
"You're a bloody fool!" shouted Sirius, his face going red with anger. "You know deep down in your heart that changing things back to the way they were won't make Lily any happier. If anything, she'll get even more hardened than she already is."
"Sirius, please," pleaded Remus.
"Hardened?" inquired Harry, ignoring Remus.
"Yes, hardened!" snapped Sirius. "Why do you think she is constantly putting on this tough exterior? Why do you think she always has those walls and her guard up? She's been hurt so many times in her life that she needs to put on a hardened face just to get through it all."
"That has nothing to do with me going to change things back to the way they are and you know it!" snarled Harry.
"You're blinded by your own brooding!" yelled Sirius angrily. "It has everything to do with it. Please Harry, changing things back to the way they were will just make everything worse for Lily. You know that Lily doesn't want this. She's an emotional wreck and doesn't know what she wants. Deep down, you know that Lily wants you alive."
"Sirius…"
"Does this have anything to do with Ginny?" asked Sirius suddenly, interrupting Harry's plea. Harry looked at his godfather, both angry and startled.
"What the hell does Ginny have to do with this?" snarled Harry.
"The fact that you're in love with her and can't be with her," said Sirius, almost reasonably. "It must be killing you. Is that why you can't handle being here?"
"HOW DARE YOU!" bellowed Harry, not getting in his godfather's face. "YOU THINK I'D RATHER HAVE HER MURDERED AT MY HAND? I WOULD RATHR SEE HER ALIVE AND WITH ANOTHER MAN THAN HAVE ME BECOME HER MURDERER! HOW DARE YOU, SIRIUS?" At that moment, Sirius knew that he had gone too far and looked down at his feet ashamed. Harry backed away from him and leaned his arms against the mantle above the fireplace, breathing heavy; his back turned on Sirius and Remus.
"I'm sorry, Harry," whispered Sirius, standing behind his godson. "I know it's not because of Ginny. I just think you're making a huge mistake and I can't bear to see you make a mistake this…epic."
"Sirius," Harry called out softly, his voice sounding more hoarse than usual. "Maybe you're not concerned with whether if Lily wants me alive. I think you feel so passionately about this because you want me alive; not Lily." Harry paused, turned around, and looked straight at his godfather, challenging him to deny what he had just said.
Harry's theory was confirmed when Sirius began to stumble over his words and stutter incoherently, looking at his godson strangely. Harry sighed and nodded in understanding.
"I love you Sirius and I appreciate what you're trying to do," said Harry, putting a hand on his godfather's shoulder. "But right now, all I care about it what will make my Lily happy. I've made my decision and there is no changing my mind. I'm changing things back to the way they used to be and that's the end of it."
With that, Harry turned on his heel, walked through the doors of the Room of Requirement, and disappeared down the corridor, leaving a very speechless and hurt Sirius behind in his wake.
A note from the Jitterbelle. I know many of you make think that Lily and Harry are fools for making these decisions but I promise you again, everything will come full circle by the end of the story.
Please read, review, but most importantly, please enjoy!
Coming in Chapter 4 - Eddie and Lily have a little talk and a confrontation with Daris Malfoy…
