Chapter 29
The three Gryffindor girls decided to approach Severus Snape after lunch, five days before Christmas. He was the only Slytherin sixth year to stay for the holiday, and they convinced him to return to the Gryffindor common room with them. As they approached the fat lady, she huffed and gave them a hard time about allowing Severus into the private common room.
"You have to let him in," Lily argued. "We need his help."
The fat lady stared at the red haired young woman, "He is from Slytherin, if I allow him in, he may bring others into the common room."
"I assure you, madam. I have no intention of coming into the bloody Gryffindor common room without an escort from a Gryffindor," Severus explained. "I will even allow these ladies to use a spell to make me blind and deaf until I am inside."
The portrait looked at him thoughtfully, "If you are willing to allow them to do that, I'm sure that I can trust you with the password until after the holiday," she looked over at the girls. "After the holiday, we shall change the password and if he comes back, he must be accompanied by one of you or your fellow Gryffindors."
The four students stepped into the common room and were greeted by the rest of the group.
"Thank you for agreeing to help us, Severus," Harry told him. "We have a lot to tell you and the sooner we get through the explanation and start on the potion the better."
Severus dropped down into a chair in front of the fire, "The bits of information that the ladies gave me was intriguing. I would like to hear the entire story, but I will assist you even without you telling me."
"We'll tell you everything," James told him. "The entire story from start to finish."
*************************
Severus looked around the room of requirement, trying to process the tale that he had just been told. "So you're telling me that not only is Voldemort still terrorizing the wizarding world, but I'm a Death Eater spy?"
Harry ran a hand through his hair, "You have saved countless lives by spying for Dumbledore."
"And I'm the potions master here, in your time?" he asked.
Ginny smiled, "You're the potions master and the head of Slytherin house," she told him. "You're terrible to everyone, except for the students from your house."
Severus looked at each of the assembled group, "If we stop him now, it will change the future."
"That is what we're supposed to do," Hermione told him, handing him the book with the prophecy. He read the page and stared at Harry. "Well then, the sooner we get started, the sooner we can destroy him."
**********************
In the future, Severus, Sirius, and Remus were sitting in the dungeons. Waiting, wondering just what was happening in the past. "I cannot stand to just sit around her any more!" Sirius shouted as he jumped up from his chair.
"Sirius, you need to calm down," Severus told him. "Why don't you have Albus send you back?" he questioned. "I'm sure that they could use your help there."
Sirius looked at the other two men, "That's perfect!" he shouted. "We'll have Albus send the three of us back. We can do more to help if we're actually there."
Severus looked at the two men sitting across from him, "I don't know about that. I'm not sure that I would be welcome."
"Think about the new memories that you have been having for the past few days, what do they tell you?" Remus asked. "Do you think that you would have memories of the Gryffindor common room if you hadn't been accepted? Do you have any memories after fifth year where we marauders harassed you?"
Severus closed his eyes and sat quietly for a few minutes, "No, but I do have memories of pulling pranks with the four of you in seventh year."
"Let's go see Albus," Sirius told them as he headed for the door.
***************************
"Do we know when we are going to be using this potion?" Severus asked the assembled group.
"I read in 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts' that Voldemort attacked Hogsmeade at the end of December of this year, on the 30th," Hermione told them. "We should be waiting for him there. We have about a week to prepare everything, and then we see if it works."
Harry reached for the copy of the book Hermione was talking about. "It's only in our copies, right Hermione?"
"Yes, I sent a letter to Dumbledore asking him to send me a copy. I knew that we would need it to find out when we could set this up."
Harry put the book back down, "And if it doesn't work, we will still have time to try again before we go back."
"We won't need to try again," Ginny told him. "We're going to destroy him on the first try, the most brilliant minds in our time and this time came up with it. We can't fail, Harry." She got up from her chair and sat down on his lap. "I have faith in us, we have to defeat him. I don't want to think about us going back to the way things were when we left, I don't want to have to worry about something happening to you when we have our whole lives ahead of us."
Harry ran a hand through her long, silky hair. "I want to think about a future, I don't want to have to worry about Voldemort coming after you just because you're my girlfriend. I couldn't live if something happened to you." He kissed her gently on the lips. "You are my ray of sunshine, and I don't want to think about a single day without you."
"Oh Harry," she sighed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.
The door to the room of requirement opened and Sirius, Remus and Severus stepped inside. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" Sirius asked, looking at Harry and Ginny entwined on the chair.
************************
They were all crouched down in their hiding places, waiting for the attack that they knew would come. Harry had tried to keep Ginny and Hermione back at the castle, but they were adamant about coming along.
A whistle sounded, alerting the group that Death Eaters had just apperated into Hogsmeade. Harry waited until he heard the long piercing whistle that would announce Voldemort's arrival. The young Severus Snape was standing in a small copse of trees, a small muggle weapon called a sling shot in his hand. He had spent the last week practicing his aim with Ron Weasley, Sirius Black, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. He was armed with thirty small vials of the potion that his older self had created to destroy Voldemort, and each of the others had the same ammunition. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Lily were positioned in a circle, so that the spell could be sent from four sides when Voldemort was in the center of the area. Now all they could do was wait.
The three Gryffindor girls decided to approach Severus Snape after lunch, five days before Christmas. He was the only Slytherin sixth year to stay for the holiday, and they convinced him to return to the Gryffindor common room with them. As they approached the fat lady, she huffed and gave them a hard time about allowing Severus into the private common room.
"You have to let him in," Lily argued. "We need his help."
The fat lady stared at the red haired young woman, "He is from Slytherin, if I allow him in, he may bring others into the common room."
"I assure you, madam. I have no intention of coming into the bloody Gryffindor common room without an escort from a Gryffindor," Severus explained. "I will even allow these ladies to use a spell to make me blind and deaf until I am inside."
The portrait looked at him thoughtfully, "If you are willing to allow them to do that, I'm sure that I can trust you with the password until after the holiday," she looked over at the girls. "After the holiday, we shall change the password and if he comes back, he must be accompanied by one of you or your fellow Gryffindors."
The four students stepped into the common room and were greeted by the rest of the group.
"Thank you for agreeing to help us, Severus," Harry told him. "We have a lot to tell you and the sooner we get through the explanation and start on the potion the better."
Severus dropped down into a chair in front of the fire, "The bits of information that the ladies gave me was intriguing. I would like to hear the entire story, but I will assist you even without you telling me."
"We'll tell you everything," James told him. "The entire story from start to finish."
*************************
Severus looked around the room of requirement, trying to process the tale that he had just been told. "So you're telling me that not only is Voldemort still terrorizing the wizarding world, but I'm a Death Eater spy?"
Harry ran a hand through his hair, "You have saved countless lives by spying for Dumbledore."
"And I'm the potions master here, in your time?" he asked.
Ginny smiled, "You're the potions master and the head of Slytherin house," she told him. "You're terrible to everyone, except for the students from your house."
Severus looked at each of the assembled group, "If we stop him now, it will change the future."
"That is what we're supposed to do," Hermione told him, handing him the book with the prophecy. He read the page and stared at Harry. "Well then, the sooner we get started, the sooner we can destroy him."
**********************
In the future, Severus, Sirius, and Remus were sitting in the dungeons. Waiting, wondering just what was happening in the past. "I cannot stand to just sit around her any more!" Sirius shouted as he jumped up from his chair.
"Sirius, you need to calm down," Severus told him. "Why don't you have Albus send you back?" he questioned. "I'm sure that they could use your help there."
Sirius looked at the other two men, "That's perfect!" he shouted. "We'll have Albus send the three of us back. We can do more to help if we're actually there."
Severus looked at the two men sitting across from him, "I don't know about that. I'm not sure that I would be welcome."
"Think about the new memories that you have been having for the past few days, what do they tell you?" Remus asked. "Do you think that you would have memories of the Gryffindor common room if you hadn't been accepted? Do you have any memories after fifth year where we marauders harassed you?"
Severus closed his eyes and sat quietly for a few minutes, "No, but I do have memories of pulling pranks with the four of you in seventh year."
"Let's go see Albus," Sirius told them as he headed for the door.
***************************
"Do we know when we are going to be using this potion?" Severus asked the assembled group.
"I read in 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts' that Voldemort attacked Hogsmeade at the end of December of this year, on the 30th," Hermione told them. "We should be waiting for him there. We have about a week to prepare everything, and then we see if it works."
Harry reached for the copy of the book Hermione was talking about. "It's only in our copies, right Hermione?"
"Yes, I sent a letter to Dumbledore asking him to send me a copy. I knew that we would need it to find out when we could set this up."
Harry put the book back down, "And if it doesn't work, we will still have time to try again before we go back."
"We won't need to try again," Ginny told him. "We're going to destroy him on the first try, the most brilliant minds in our time and this time came up with it. We can't fail, Harry." She got up from her chair and sat down on his lap. "I have faith in us, we have to defeat him. I don't want to think about us going back to the way things were when we left, I don't want to have to worry about something happening to you when we have our whole lives ahead of us."
Harry ran a hand through her long, silky hair. "I want to think about a future, I don't want to have to worry about Voldemort coming after you just because you're my girlfriend. I couldn't live if something happened to you." He kissed her gently on the lips. "You are my ray of sunshine, and I don't want to think about a single day without you."
"Oh Harry," she sighed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.
The door to the room of requirement opened and Sirius, Remus and Severus stepped inside. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" Sirius asked, looking at Harry and Ginny entwined on the chair.
************************
They were all crouched down in their hiding places, waiting for the attack that they knew would come. Harry had tried to keep Ginny and Hermione back at the castle, but they were adamant about coming along.
A whistle sounded, alerting the group that Death Eaters had just apperated into Hogsmeade. Harry waited until he heard the long piercing whistle that would announce Voldemort's arrival. The young Severus Snape was standing in a small copse of trees, a small muggle weapon called a sling shot in his hand. He had spent the last week practicing his aim with Ron Weasley, Sirius Black, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. He was armed with thirty small vials of the potion that his older self had created to destroy Voldemort, and each of the others had the same ammunition. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Lily were positioned in a circle, so that the spell could be sent from four sides when Voldemort was in the center of the area. Now all they could do was wait.