Lord Of Fate
Illustrious Sorrow
Author's Note: Ok, in this chapter we have some of Harry and Hermione's training, the first meeting with Severus, and some Voldy action. All crammed into one chapter. Yay! And by the way, this is now officially AU. Everything in the fifth book is totally discounted. So everybody is still alive and miserable. And thanks to Max for his idea of Malfoy the Pancake.
IMPORTANT!!! Just so you know, I will have a teeny bit of the training, but most of it will be done in flashbacks throughout the story.
Chapter 11: No sight, No sound
Harry's voice rang through the void, "We're ready."
"Very Well." Fate's voice had a tone of finality to it and Harry looked into the eyes of his soul mate and then gazed at his children, knowing this would be the last time he would ever truly see them. Then, everything was dark.
Harry reached out his arms in the darkness. He could heard Hermione and felt her arms wrapping around him.
"Harry, I love you." Her voice sounded strange, but he could hear the feeling in it. Harry brought his hand up to her face and gently touched her lips. Though he knew she couldn't hear him, he said,
"I love you too."
Hermione smiled, Harry felt the change in the movement of her lips. She had understood.
"Harry, it is time for you to begin your training. The both of you have to learn how to fight without your senses. It will not be easy and for years you will feel trapped in your own body. It will, in time, become easier."
"What about the twins? What will they do?"
"You have a house-elf do you not? She will come here and help with the children until they begin to train."
Hermione reached out and took Harry's hand. She could see Fate's lips moving, but there was only silence to her ears. Then, to her surprise, words began to write themselves in the air, relaying Harry and Fate's conversation.
"Beryl-."
"Mum."
"Mum. The words...how?"
"It is a technique that you will learn. Not for many years, because it does not do well to rely on any one thing, but you will learn it. I have used it now because you need to know what is happening. I will not allow you to see the words all the time though. You must learn to use your other senses, the ones not taken. You can still read lips, you can sense the presence of others, smell, taste. All these things must be used to your advantage."
Hermione nodded, this made sense. And so the training began.
Harry dropped into bed, dead tried. It had only been four days in the void, but they had been exhausting. He stiffened at he heard footsteps coming toward him.
"It's me Harry."
Harry reached out his hands to his soul mate and felt her grab his hands in return.
"Harry, you're hurt. You're covered in bruises."
"I can heal myself, don't worry." Harry spoke the words slowly, giving Hermione time to try to read his lips.
"I don't understand."
Harry tried again.
"I." He formed the letter 'I' with his fingers.
"Can." He motioned the letters.
"Heal. Myself. Don't. Worry." He spoke the words as he signed the letters with his fingers. This was the basic sign language they had set up. This way, they could still talk until such a time when they wouldn't need such rudimentary symbols. Or so Fate told them.
The next day Harry was awakened at what was the equivalent of dawn in Fate's void. He groaned. After only four hours of sleep, he was still exhausted.
"Harry get up. Hermione's already out of bed."
"Yeah? Well Hermione's a nutcase."
He was doused with cold water.
"Hermione!"
"You said I was a nutcase!"
"Mum! You told her!"
He was answered with another splash of water.
"Fine! Yeesh!" He rolled out of bed just in time to avoid anther splash. Quickly locating his clothes, which Hermione had laid out for him, Harry dressed and left the bedroom.
"Today we will be continuing our work in Meditation."
Harry just managed to hold in a groan. This meant another four hours of sitting still. He still hadn't gotten the hang of letting his mind go free and as a result he was extremely bored. He and his mother were yet to find a way to get his mind to relax.
"Harry, I want you to try something different. I want you to envision yourself, underground. Then I want to do follow my instructions, to the letter. Understand?"
"Yes mum."
"Alright, begin."
Harry (needlessly) closed his eyes and pictured himself sinking into the ground. He envisioned himself being a part of the earth itself. Suddenly, a voice echoed though his thoughts.
"You can feel the earth breathing around you. You met the air, and are comforted by her. You are safe and here you can safely unlock the secrets of the earth. Do so, unleash your gift of wisdom."
He was the rock and the dirt. The he was the roots and the tiny skeletons of insects and animals that were buried within him. He breathed, reaching for the air above him, the needed substance, the complete opposite of himself, yet at the same time, his lover.
He and the sky melded at the surface, and yet bonded more completely that any would ever have though. They danced together in the animals of their domain, they helped each other survive.
He let down the blocks in his mind, and understood. Slowly his awareness wandered through the doors in himself and the sky. He had barely begun his search when a voice called to him.
"Come back. You are rising out of the earth. You are a human sitting in Fate's void. Open your senses."
Harry suddenly slammed back into himself. It was a strange feeling, to be confined in a body after the freedom of the earth.
"Wow. Mum, that worked!"
"Of course."
"What do you mean, of course?" Harry's voice lowered suspiciously.
"You can control the element of earth. It is natural that you would be more comfortable in situations involving your element."
"I really do control earth?" Harry sank back down to the ground.
"Great, another power."
"It is great. This power will be better and more powerful then all your other powers, because this one is purely your own. The others were given to you, or learned, but this one will come naturally."
Harry sighed but nodded.
"What time is it? Dinner time, well, lunch time for you, I guess."
"I've been meditating for fourteen hours!"
"Yes, you needed to clean out your mind, organize it. This gave you the opportunity to do so. You also got a day to rest, why are you complaining?"
This made Harry pause.
"Oh. Yeah, oops. So, what's for dinner?
When they had been in Fate's void for 15 and a half days, Fate stopped their training and said that it was time to contact Harry's father.
"How do we do that?"
"We will travel into his dreams and there you may see him. First, I want you to enter the first stages of your meditation."
Harry and Hermione both sat down and entered their meditation. Harry became the earth while Hermione became her element, the sky.
"You are traveling in between the presence. You are neither of the human world nor of Fate's Void. You seek the land of dreams. You are in a soft purple colored light. It shimmers around you, changing shades constantly. You call for Severus Snape, your father and he comes."
Harry was amazed by the colors of the place he found himself in, the land of dreams. First lavender, then dark, next lilac. Always something different. Suddenly, he realized his father was in front of him. He couldn't really see his father anymore then he could really see the colors. The images were imprinted in his mind, as was the way of the dream world.
"Father."
"Harry! Do you know when you're coming home? Where are the twins? How is your training going? What-."
"Dad, one question at a time." Severus quieted.
"All right, I'll be coming home at the end of a year. For you at least. The time runs differently here and one year to you is fifteen years here. So when I return, I'll be thirty years old, if the training goes as planned."
"Thirty years! But-." Again, Harry cut him off.
"The twins are with Mum, the training is going well. I'm sorry if our removal of Winky caused any problems, we needed her here. I will only be able to see you once a week on your side because it would disrupt your sleep if it were any more. You would slowly be tortured to death, and you wouldn't even know it."
Severus stared at his son. There was something different about him. Just what this new difference was, was Hermione, as Severus found out when the girl popped into the room.
"Harry, it took me a moment to find you." Her voice was thick and strangely disembodied, but was filled with love. Severus was surprised when Harry took her hand to answer her.
"I. Was. Explaining. Things. To. My. Father." He moved Hermione's fingers as he spoke, and she watched his lips intently.
"Oh, alright then. I accidentally stumbled into Malfoy's dream. It was disgusting. I err...I changed it a bit."
"How?"
"Well..."
Flashback
Hermione was walking in the mists. They swirled different colors, blues and greens as well as purples and reds. Suddenly, the mists parted. Hermione ran toward the mists, hoping to see Severus and Harry, but instead found Draco Malfoy, locked in the arms of some beautiful, naked woman.
Hermione looked away, but not before seeing that their mouths were open in screams of passion that she couldn't hear. The woman's long blond hair hiding her doubtlessly shapely body from Hermione's view. Thank god.
It didn't surprise her that Malfoy would be dreaming this kind of thing, but she was still disgusted. She didn't much like the boy, but she knew that there was a capacity in him to change to the good side. Even so, there was no reason not to have a little fun, right?
Suddenly, Malfoy looked up to see a great hammer floating above his head. His mouth opened in a great scream as the hammer descended on him. When the hammer rose again, Malfoy was as flat as a pancake. She then conjured a pancake flipper (1) and had it carry the newly flattened boy to a sizzling skillet.
Malfoy flapped his tiny hands desperately but fell face first onto the cold black iron, waking with a scream. Hermione was thrown out of the dream and back into the mists, at which point she found Harry. (2)
A/N I can't for the life of me, remember what it's called.
(2) Hmmm, that was really cheesy. Oh well! Funny in my mind.
Present
Harry howled with laughter while Severus and Hermione chuckled. Finally, Harry got a grip on himself and, wiping tears from his eyes, congratulated Hermione for her efforts. In Harry's time15 years= 1year in real time
"Really though, somebody has to do something about him. He is changed, something happened over the summer that made him reconsider his life in the Dark Arts. Father, can you look after him this year? Try to get him to open up to you."
"Oh course Harry. I just wish..."
"Yeah?"
"I just wish I could be here, to see you grow up."
Harry's eyes filled with tears and he choked silently.
"Dad...I...I wish I could see you."
"What happened to your second sight?"
"It was only temporary, until I could find my soul mate. Hermione."
"You had to give up your sight?"
"And Hermione her hearing."
Severus looked at Hermione in shock, that explained a lot of things. Including why Harry spelled the words into Hermione's hand.
"It's not that bad Severus. Really it isn't. We help each other. You do not have to worry."
"Hermione is learning how to read lips and how to use a variation of sigh language. I am learning to sense people and the air around them, their footsteps. We will be fine. Father, I sorry that we had to be taken away from each other so soon. I wanted more then anything to grow up with you. I'm sorry that this will not happen in this life-time."
Severus stepped up to his son and hugged him tightly.
"When will I see you again?"
"In a week. It will have been nearly four months for me."
"What about the twins?"
"I'm sorry, you won't be able to see them until I am powerful enough to bring them here or they learn how to dream hop."
"I see."
There was suddenly a rip in the mists surrounding them.
"Father, you're waking up."
"Goodbye son, I love you!"
And then he was gone, leaving Harry and Hermione alone in the mists. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry.
"It's ok Harry, you don't have to be strong for me."
Harry, who had been trying to hold in his emotions for some time now, was surprised as tears began to leak down his face.
"Hermione, I don't know if I can do this!" He slowly spelled the words into her hand.
"You can Harry. And I'll always be here beside you."
They stood like that for a while, holding each other close in the dream world, before they realized it was time for them to return to Fate's Void for more training.
Ron boarded the train for his sixth year at Hogwarts. It was strange being on the train without Harry or Hermione, and he was lonely. For a long time he leaned against the window, wishing he had been able to go with his friends. But he wasn't powerful enough. This caused a twinge of envy that he quickly forced down. He didn't want to be in their place. Their lives were dedicated to fighting Voldemort, despite the fact that they were only fifteen.
The end of his fifth year had been hard. He had done all right on his O.W.L.s, getting 10. Not great, but not bad, and certainly better then the twins; his mother had given him an owl for his scores. (A/N an owl for an o.w.l...hehe)
He had spend more time with Dean Thomas and surprisingly, with Neville Longbottom. He had been told about the boy's parents and couldn't imagine how that must feel. He cared too much for his parents.
There was one girl he hung out with, she was in Ginny's year, shy and pretty, she was slightly plump and had luminous grey eyes. Her hair was slightly wavy and pitch black, she was part Japanese. He had met her during his fifth year and slowly realized that he loved her. He hadn't yet asked her out, not willing to ruin their friendship, however he had decided over the summer that he was going to ask tonight.
When the train stopped he climbed into one of the horseless carriages and was pleased to find Ayoka already sitting there waiting for him.
"Hello Ron, how was your summer?"
"Fine."
"You missed them, didn't you?"
"A lot." That was one of the things he loved about her, she always knew what he was thinking and her grey eyes often seemed to search deep in his soul.
"Ayoka, I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"I was wondering if...if you wanted...would consider..." He paused for a moment before rushing on.
"If you would like to be my girlfriend?"
"R-really Ron? You want me to be your girlfriend?"
"Yeah." Ron looked carefully at his knees, not wanted to look into her eyes just yet.
"Of course Ron!" She flung herself off the seat and hugged him, not moving off his lap the entire ride.
When they arrived at the castle, they walked slowly into the great hall to await the feast and the sorting. Slowly the new first years filed and the sorting hat began its song.
When the song ended, there was applause and the first years were sorted, ending up with 12 in Gryffindor, 9 in Hufflepuff, 10 in Ravenclaw and 8 in Slytherin. Ron was pleased; the most new students had gone to Gryffindor. Finally it was time for the feast.
Professor Dumbledore stood up, looking older then he ever had before.
"First, I wish to announce that two of our professors were killed by Voldemort over the summer. Professor Victor and Madame Hooch. I would like to hold a moment of silence for them." For somewhere around two minutes, there was complete silence in the hall and the Professor Dumbledore spoke up again.
"I would like to say that the forbidden forest is just that, forbidden, please stay out of it. And now I'd like to introduce our new teachers. Professor McFarren who will be substituting for Hagrid, and Professor Lacique who will be teaching Flying. I'm afraid we were unable to find suitable teachers for Defense against the Dark Arts and Ancient Runes. Until we can find teachers, the teachers will switch off will Ancient Runes and I will teach DADA."
There was a great cheer and the food appeared on the table.
"Eat up! Tomorrow we begin classes!" And with that, Albus sat down.
The feast was halfway over when a strange whistling ran through the Great Hall. The wind picked up and the candles blew out. The hall was plunged into darkness except for the roof, which was displaying strangely colored mists. Suddenly, there was a bright flash and everything was back to normal.
"See! I told you I could do it!"
"Of course you did. I never doubted you for a second."
The speakers were a young girl in a dark maroon cloak and a tall man in a forest Green cloak. With them were what appeared to be another young girl in a grey cloak and a woman in a Deep purple cloak.
"Daddy, were we supposed to land in the Great Hall?"
The man looked around.
"No, but that's alright, it was your first time attempting that spell and the enchantments on the school are immense."
"Dear, don't you think you had better explain it to them?"
"What? Oh! Yes, of course." He turned to face the teachers table.
"Hello, I've come to apply for your DADA position, and my beautiful wife for your Ancient Runes position."
Most of the Head table was looking down in shock. Only Albus Dumbledore looked amused.
"I see, and who might you be?"
"I? Albus, I'm hurt. Really I am. How could you not remember..." He slid his cloak off his face. The man who looked out of the cloak had rugged features, there were slight wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead. His hair was black and white, but appeared to have red highlights. His eyes were pure white.
"Harry Snape?"
The Great Hall burst into chaos. Harry 'Potter' had returned.
"I see, and who might these young ladies be?"
Harry turned dramatically to his wife.
"This is my lovely wife, Hermione Snape. Formerly, Hermione Granger." He gestured at her and Hermione slid her hood off and revealed a stunning woman. She had soft brown hair that was wrapped around her throat in a braid, her brown eyes were the color of chocolate and had gold specks in them.
"This is my daughter, Lily Dove Snape." Lily dropped her hood and smiled mischiviously at the gaping crowd. She had red hair, coupled with brilliant green eyes. She was tall and skinny, a coming beauty.
"And lastly, my daughter, Raven Rose Snape." Raven slowly brought her hands to her face and lowered the hood. She had wavy black hair with the sides braided and pulled back into a ponytail, leaving the back to hang down the middle of her back. Her eyes were a light grey color that in no way could be mistaken as blue. She looked seriously at the students, but smiled lightly.
"Will they be taking lessons?" Albus asked of Harry.
"No, they have surpassed the level which the school can teach. They have both completed their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. They will study with me."
"Very well. Come join us." Harry led his family to the teachers table and crossed to his father.
"Father."
"Welcome back Harry." Severus reached over and hugged Harry close to his chest. After and moment he embraced Hermione as well, and then his grandchildren. At the same time, Albus stood again.
"I would like to welcome our new DADA and Ancient Runes professors. Professor Snape and Professor Snape!" There was some clapping and a lot of muttering. How were they supposed to tell them apart? Three Snape's were teaching? Not to mention the daughters.
Harry stood up.
"Because of the confusion of names, feel free to call me Professor Harry, my wife Professor Hermione." He looked back at her and twisted his hand in complex ways for a moment before she smiled and stood.
"I want to thank you all for your welcome, and I wish to warn you, I am deaf, so if you need to speak with me, make sure that I am looking at you before you begin." Her voice was thick and slightly twisted from 15 years of not being able to hear, but she was understandable.
"Also, I am blind, but that doesn't mean that you can't try to take advantage of it. I assure you that I can spot pranks and hear a whisper miles away. You won't succeed. He grinned wolfishly.
"Now enjoy your dinners, I'm sure I'll see you in the morning, we'll have a great time." With that he sat down, and waited for the feast to end.
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. My longest one yet. I promise that I will hve more of their training, in dreams and flashbacks and stories. Thanks for your support, I love getting your reviews!
Liberty Belleview- I'm glad you liked the romance bit. I'm not so good at writing romance or fluff, so I'm not sure whether or not I'll put much in the story. I'm glad you liked the chapter, sorry about the wait. Yes, I have read the fifth book. I was one of the people who were in the stores at midnight waiting in line to by the copy they had ordered five months in advance. Yup. I finished the book in ten hours. I couldn't put it down. Gonecrazynotsureifiwillcomeback- Uh, interesting name. Glad you like the story. Hope you decided to return to it. i need more i just found it and i need more so get a move on it Potter-man- Well, as I said, I'll have the training in flashbacks. That is my favorite way to do that. Hope you liked the chapter, please tell me what you think. Pheonixrising- Winky wasn't included much in this chapter, but I promise you she was there. She'll come in during the next chapter and she will show up in flashbacks of the training as well. The way the function without their key senses is by enhancing their other senses. They can also feed off eachother to some level. Max- The reason Harry and Hermione can't be gone for 15 years and then return as people are leaving the room is because the time in the Void is different, but not changeable. I have it figured to be one year in the void equals 24 days in real time. It took me forever to figure this out, so I'm sticking with it. Yes, Voldemort did continue with this campaign, it will be explained in the next chapter. I'll also explain his immortality in the next chapter. The reason there were regulations as to how often Harry and Severus could meet in dreams in because otherwise Severus would become exhausted in a short amount of time and would be unable to function in the real world. He was needed to teach so he could not come with Harry to the void, which left dream visiting. The reason I had Molly be in the order is simply because I like her character. I feel that she is a good person and is needed for the more sensitve aspects of things, maybe healing or planning more then combat. The reason Sirius is not more prominate is because I don't really like him. Sirius should be showing up soon though. I also promised a scandalous relationship to my beta reader which will be showing up soon. Hehe, oh the evilness. And thank you for the idea of pancake Malfoy, I hope you don't mind that I used it. Hope you liked the story, I really value your opinion, being as you were my very first reviewing. Hope the wait wasn't to long. Rvampire- Thank you for your wonderful review. Makes a girl feel all warm and fuzzy, it does. Give Rama mounds of goodies and sweet stuff for thoughtfulness. I love you soooo much, thanks again. Destruxion- The reason Harry is thirty when he returns is so that his daughters are fifteen. They need to be old enough to handle the spell that will defete Voldemort. I have everything mapped out...Bwahahahaha! Thanks for your review, sorry about the age thing. I haven't decided whether or not his daughters will bond with anybody. Again, sorry about the age thing, but this is the way the story works best, I think. Hope you enjoy the story anyway, thanks for reviewing. Howling Wolf- smiles Glad you like the story. Hope you liked this chapter as well. AthenaKitty- They took the OWL's and NEWTs while in the void. Uh, not really sure what you mean by popping Voldie's clogs, but...they'll beat him eventually. It will be one year, as I explained, but fifteen for Harry. Hope you liked the chapter.
Illustrious Sorrow
Author's Note: Ok, in this chapter we have some of Harry and Hermione's training, the first meeting with Severus, and some Voldy action. All crammed into one chapter. Yay! And by the way, this is now officially AU. Everything in the fifth book is totally discounted. So everybody is still alive and miserable. And thanks to Max for his idea of Malfoy the Pancake.
IMPORTANT!!! Just so you know, I will have a teeny bit of the training, but most of it will be done in flashbacks throughout the story.
Chapter 11: No sight, No sound
Harry's voice rang through the void, "We're ready."
"Very Well." Fate's voice had a tone of finality to it and Harry looked into the eyes of his soul mate and then gazed at his children, knowing this would be the last time he would ever truly see them. Then, everything was dark.
Harry reached out his arms in the darkness. He could heard Hermione and felt her arms wrapping around him.
"Harry, I love you." Her voice sounded strange, but he could hear the feeling in it. Harry brought his hand up to her face and gently touched her lips. Though he knew she couldn't hear him, he said,
"I love you too."
Hermione smiled, Harry felt the change in the movement of her lips. She had understood.
"Harry, it is time for you to begin your training. The both of you have to learn how to fight without your senses. It will not be easy and for years you will feel trapped in your own body. It will, in time, become easier."
"What about the twins? What will they do?"
"You have a house-elf do you not? She will come here and help with the children until they begin to train."
Hermione reached out and took Harry's hand. She could see Fate's lips moving, but there was only silence to her ears. Then, to her surprise, words began to write themselves in the air, relaying Harry and Fate's conversation.
"Beryl-."
"Mum."
"Mum. The words...how?"
"It is a technique that you will learn. Not for many years, because it does not do well to rely on any one thing, but you will learn it. I have used it now because you need to know what is happening. I will not allow you to see the words all the time though. You must learn to use your other senses, the ones not taken. You can still read lips, you can sense the presence of others, smell, taste. All these things must be used to your advantage."
Hermione nodded, this made sense. And so the training began.
Harry dropped into bed, dead tried. It had only been four days in the void, but they had been exhausting. He stiffened at he heard footsteps coming toward him.
"It's me Harry."
Harry reached out his hands to his soul mate and felt her grab his hands in return.
"Harry, you're hurt. You're covered in bruises."
"I can heal myself, don't worry." Harry spoke the words slowly, giving Hermione time to try to read his lips.
"I don't understand."
Harry tried again.
"I." He formed the letter 'I' with his fingers.
"Can." He motioned the letters.
"Heal. Myself. Don't. Worry." He spoke the words as he signed the letters with his fingers. This was the basic sign language they had set up. This way, they could still talk until such a time when they wouldn't need such rudimentary symbols. Or so Fate told them.
The next day Harry was awakened at what was the equivalent of dawn in Fate's void. He groaned. After only four hours of sleep, he was still exhausted.
"Harry get up. Hermione's already out of bed."
"Yeah? Well Hermione's a nutcase."
He was doused with cold water.
"Hermione!"
"You said I was a nutcase!"
"Mum! You told her!"
He was answered with another splash of water.
"Fine! Yeesh!" He rolled out of bed just in time to avoid anther splash. Quickly locating his clothes, which Hermione had laid out for him, Harry dressed and left the bedroom.
"Today we will be continuing our work in Meditation."
Harry just managed to hold in a groan. This meant another four hours of sitting still. He still hadn't gotten the hang of letting his mind go free and as a result he was extremely bored. He and his mother were yet to find a way to get his mind to relax.
"Harry, I want you to try something different. I want you to envision yourself, underground. Then I want to do follow my instructions, to the letter. Understand?"
"Yes mum."
"Alright, begin."
Harry (needlessly) closed his eyes and pictured himself sinking into the ground. He envisioned himself being a part of the earth itself. Suddenly, a voice echoed though his thoughts.
"You can feel the earth breathing around you. You met the air, and are comforted by her. You are safe and here you can safely unlock the secrets of the earth. Do so, unleash your gift of wisdom."
He was the rock and the dirt. The he was the roots and the tiny skeletons of insects and animals that were buried within him. He breathed, reaching for the air above him, the needed substance, the complete opposite of himself, yet at the same time, his lover.
He and the sky melded at the surface, and yet bonded more completely that any would ever have though. They danced together in the animals of their domain, they helped each other survive.
He let down the blocks in his mind, and understood. Slowly his awareness wandered through the doors in himself and the sky. He had barely begun his search when a voice called to him.
"Come back. You are rising out of the earth. You are a human sitting in Fate's void. Open your senses."
Harry suddenly slammed back into himself. It was a strange feeling, to be confined in a body after the freedom of the earth.
"Wow. Mum, that worked!"
"Of course."
"What do you mean, of course?" Harry's voice lowered suspiciously.
"You can control the element of earth. It is natural that you would be more comfortable in situations involving your element."
"I really do control earth?" Harry sank back down to the ground.
"Great, another power."
"It is great. This power will be better and more powerful then all your other powers, because this one is purely your own. The others were given to you, or learned, but this one will come naturally."
Harry sighed but nodded.
"What time is it? Dinner time, well, lunch time for you, I guess."
"I've been meditating for fourteen hours!"
"Yes, you needed to clean out your mind, organize it. This gave you the opportunity to do so. You also got a day to rest, why are you complaining?"
This made Harry pause.
"Oh. Yeah, oops. So, what's for dinner?
When they had been in Fate's void for 15 and a half days, Fate stopped their training and said that it was time to contact Harry's father.
"How do we do that?"
"We will travel into his dreams and there you may see him. First, I want you to enter the first stages of your meditation."
Harry and Hermione both sat down and entered their meditation. Harry became the earth while Hermione became her element, the sky.
"You are traveling in between the presence. You are neither of the human world nor of Fate's Void. You seek the land of dreams. You are in a soft purple colored light. It shimmers around you, changing shades constantly. You call for Severus Snape, your father and he comes."
Harry was amazed by the colors of the place he found himself in, the land of dreams. First lavender, then dark, next lilac. Always something different. Suddenly, he realized his father was in front of him. He couldn't really see his father anymore then he could really see the colors. The images were imprinted in his mind, as was the way of the dream world.
"Father."
"Harry! Do you know when you're coming home? Where are the twins? How is your training going? What-."
"Dad, one question at a time." Severus quieted.
"All right, I'll be coming home at the end of a year. For you at least. The time runs differently here and one year to you is fifteen years here. So when I return, I'll be thirty years old, if the training goes as planned."
"Thirty years! But-." Again, Harry cut him off.
"The twins are with Mum, the training is going well. I'm sorry if our removal of Winky caused any problems, we needed her here. I will only be able to see you once a week on your side because it would disrupt your sleep if it were any more. You would slowly be tortured to death, and you wouldn't even know it."
Severus stared at his son. There was something different about him. Just what this new difference was, was Hermione, as Severus found out when the girl popped into the room.
"Harry, it took me a moment to find you." Her voice was thick and strangely disembodied, but was filled with love. Severus was surprised when Harry took her hand to answer her.
"I. Was. Explaining. Things. To. My. Father." He moved Hermione's fingers as he spoke, and she watched his lips intently.
"Oh, alright then. I accidentally stumbled into Malfoy's dream. It was disgusting. I err...I changed it a bit."
"How?"
"Well..."
Flashback
Hermione was walking in the mists. They swirled different colors, blues and greens as well as purples and reds. Suddenly, the mists parted. Hermione ran toward the mists, hoping to see Severus and Harry, but instead found Draco Malfoy, locked in the arms of some beautiful, naked woman.
Hermione looked away, but not before seeing that their mouths were open in screams of passion that she couldn't hear. The woman's long blond hair hiding her doubtlessly shapely body from Hermione's view. Thank god.
It didn't surprise her that Malfoy would be dreaming this kind of thing, but she was still disgusted. She didn't much like the boy, but she knew that there was a capacity in him to change to the good side. Even so, there was no reason not to have a little fun, right?
Suddenly, Malfoy looked up to see a great hammer floating above his head. His mouth opened in a great scream as the hammer descended on him. When the hammer rose again, Malfoy was as flat as a pancake. She then conjured a pancake flipper (1) and had it carry the newly flattened boy to a sizzling skillet.
Malfoy flapped his tiny hands desperately but fell face first onto the cold black iron, waking with a scream. Hermione was thrown out of the dream and back into the mists, at which point she found Harry. (2)
A/N I can't for the life of me, remember what it's called.
(2) Hmmm, that was really cheesy. Oh well! Funny in my mind.
Present
Harry howled with laughter while Severus and Hermione chuckled. Finally, Harry got a grip on himself and, wiping tears from his eyes, congratulated Hermione for her efforts. In Harry's time15 years= 1year in real time
"Really though, somebody has to do something about him. He is changed, something happened over the summer that made him reconsider his life in the Dark Arts. Father, can you look after him this year? Try to get him to open up to you."
"Oh course Harry. I just wish..."
"Yeah?"
"I just wish I could be here, to see you grow up."
Harry's eyes filled with tears and he choked silently.
"Dad...I...I wish I could see you."
"What happened to your second sight?"
"It was only temporary, until I could find my soul mate. Hermione."
"You had to give up your sight?"
"And Hermione her hearing."
Severus looked at Hermione in shock, that explained a lot of things. Including why Harry spelled the words into Hermione's hand.
"It's not that bad Severus. Really it isn't. We help each other. You do not have to worry."
"Hermione is learning how to read lips and how to use a variation of sigh language. I am learning to sense people and the air around them, their footsteps. We will be fine. Father, I sorry that we had to be taken away from each other so soon. I wanted more then anything to grow up with you. I'm sorry that this will not happen in this life-time."
Severus stepped up to his son and hugged him tightly.
"When will I see you again?"
"In a week. It will have been nearly four months for me."
"What about the twins?"
"I'm sorry, you won't be able to see them until I am powerful enough to bring them here or they learn how to dream hop."
"I see."
There was suddenly a rip in the mists surrounding them.
"Father, you're waking up."
"Goodbye son, I love you!"
And then he was gone, leaving Harry and Hermione alone in the mists. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry.
"It's ok Harry, you don't have to be strong for me."
Harry, who had been trying to hold in his emotions for some time now, was surprised as tears began to leak down his face.
"Hermione, I don't know if I can do this!" He slowly spelled the words into her hand.
"You can Harry. And I'll always be here beside you."
They stood like that for a while, holding each other close in the dream world, before they realized it was time for them to return to Fate's Void for more training.
Ron boarded the train for his sixth year at Hogwarts. It was strange being on the train without Harry or Hermione, and he was lonely. For a long time he leaned against the window, wishing he had been able to go with his friends. But he wasn't powerful enough. This caused a twinge of envy that he quickly forced down. He didn't want to be in their place. Their lives were dedicated to fighting Voldemort, despite the fact that they were only fifteen.
The end of his fifth year had been hard. He had done all right on his O.W.L.s, getting 10. Not great, but not bad, and certainly better then the twins; his mother had given him an owl for his scores. (A/N an owl for an o.w.l...hehe)
He had spend more time with Dean Thomas and surprisingly, with Neville Longbottom. He had been told about the boy's parents and couldn't imagine how that must feel. He cared too much for his parents.
There was one girl he hung out with, she was in Ginny's year, shy and pretty, she was slightly plump and had luminous grey eyes. Her hair was slightly wavy and pitch black, she was part Japanese. He had met her during his fifth year and slowly realized that he loved her. He hadn't yet asked her out, not willing to ruin their friendship, however he had decided over the summer that he was going to ask tonight.
When the train stopped he climbed into one of the horseless carriages and was pleased to find Ayoka already sitting there waiting for him.
"Hello Ron, how was your summer?"
"Fine."
"You missed them, didn't you?"
"A lot." That was one of the things he loved about her, she always knew what he was thinking and her grey eyes often seemed to search deep in his soul.
"Ayoka, I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"I was wondering if...if you wanted...would consider..." He paused for a moment before rushing on.
"If you would like to be my girlfriend?"
"R-really Ron? You want me to be your girlfriend?"
"Yeah." Ron looked carefully at his knees, not wanted to look into her eyes just yet.
"Of course Ron!" She flung herself off the seat and hugged him, not moving off his lap the entire ride.
When they arrived at the castle, they walked slowly into the great hall to await the feast and the sorting. Slowly the new first years filed and the sorting hat began its song.
When the song ended, there was applause and the first years were sorted, ending up with 12 in Gryffindor, 9 in Hufflepuff, 10 in Ravenclaw and 8 in Slytherin. Ron was pleased; the most new students had gone to Gryffindor. Finally it was time for the feast.
Professor Dumbledore stood up, looking older then he ever had before.
"First, I wish to announce that two of our professors were killed by Voldemort over the summer. Professor Victor and Madame Hooch. I would like to hold a moment of silence for them." For somewhere around two minutes, there was complete silence in the hall and the Professor Dumbledore spoke up again.
"I would like to say that the forbidden forest is just that, forbidden, please stay out of it. And now I'd like to introduce our new teachers. Professor McFarren who will be substituting for Hagrid, and Professor Lacique who will be teaching Flying. I'm afraid we were unable to find suitable teachers for Defense against the Dark Arts and Ancient Runes. Until we can find teachers, the teachers will switch off will Ancient Runes and I will teach DADA."
There was a great cheer and the food appeared on the table.
"Eat up! Tomorrow we begin classes!" And with that, Albus sat down.
The feast was halfway over when a strange whistling ran through the Great Hall. The wind picked up and the candles blew out. The hall was plunged into darkness except for the roof, which was displaying strangely colored mists. Suddenly, there was a bright flash and everything was back to normal.
"See! I told you I could do it!"
"Of course you did. I never doubted you for a second."
The speakers were a young girl in a dark maroon cloak and a tall man in a forest Green cloak. With them were what appeared to be another young girl in a grey cloak and a woman in a Deep purple cloak.
"Daddy, were we supposed to land in the Great Hall?"
The man looked around.
"No, but that's alright, it was your first time attempting that spell and the enchantments on the school are immense."
"Dear, don't you think you had better explain it to them?"
"What? Oh! Yes, of course." He turned to face the teachers table.
"Hello, I've come to apply for your DADA position, and my beautiful wife for your Ancient Runes position."
Most of the Head table was looking down in shock. Only Albus Dumbledore looked amused.
"I see, and who might you be?"
"I? Albus, I'm hurt. Really I am. How could you not remember..." He slid his cloak off his face. The man who looked out of the cloak had rugged features, there were slight wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead. His hair was black and white, but appeared to have red highlights. His eyes were pure white.
"Harry Snape?"
The Great Hall burst into chaos. Harry 'Potter' had returned.
"I see, and who might these young ladies be?"
Harry turned dramatically to his wife.
"This is my lovely wife, Hermione Snape. Formerly, Hermione Granger." He gestured at her and Hermione slid her hood off and revealed a stunning woman. She had soft brown hair that was wrapped around her throat in a braid, her brown eyes were the color of chocolate and had gold specks in them.
"This is my daughter, Lily Dove Snape." Lily dropped her hood and smiled mischiviously at the gaping crowd. She had red hair, coupled with brilliant green eyes. She was tall and skinny, a coming beauty.
"And lastly, my daughter, Raven Rose Snape." Raven slowly brought her hands to her face and lowered the hood. She had wavy black hair with the sides braided and pulled back into a ponytail, leaving the back to hang down the middle of her back. Her eyes were a light grey color that in no way could be mistaken as blue. She looked seriously at the students, but smiled lightly.
"Will they be taking lessons?" Albus asked of Harry.
"No, they have surpassed the level which the school can teach. They have both completed their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. They will study with me."
"Very well. Come join us." Harry led his family to the teachers table and crossed to his father.
"Father."
"Welcome back Harry." Severus reached over and hugged Harry close to his chest. After and moment he embraced Hermione as well, and then his grandchildren. At the same time, Albus stood again.
"I would like to welcome our new DADA and Ancient Runes professors. Professor Snape and Professor Snape!" There was some clapping and a lot of muttering. How were they supposed to tell them apart? Three Snape's were teaching? Not to mention the daughters.
Harry stood up.
"Because of the confusion of names, feel free to call me Professor Harry, my wife Professor Hermione." He looked back at her and twisted his hand in complex ways for a moment before she smiled and stood.
"I want to thank you all for your welcome, and I wish to warn you, I am deaf, so if you need to speak with me, make sure that I am looking at you before you begin." Her voice was thick and slightly twisted from 15 years of not being able to hear, but she was understandable.
"Also, I am blind, but that doesn't mean that you can't try to take advantage of it. I assure you that I can spot pranks and hear a whisper miles away. You won't succeed. He grinned wolfishly.
"Now enjoy your dinners, I'm sure I'll see you in the morning, we'll have a great time." With that he sat down, and waited for the feast to end.
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. My longest one yet. I promise that I will hve more of their training, in dreams and flashbacks and stories. Thanks for your support, I love getting your reviews!
Liberty Belleview- I'm glad you liked the romance bit. I'm not so good at writing romance or fluff, so I'm not sure whether or not I'll put much in the story. I'm glad you liked the chapter, sorry about the wait. Yes, I have read the fifth book. I was one of the people who were in the stores at midnight waiting in line to by the copy they had ordered five months in advance. Yup. I finished the book in ten hours. I couldn't put it down. Gonecrazynotsureifiwillcomeback- Uh, interesting name. Glad you like the story. Hope you decided to return to it. i need more i just found it and i need more so get a move on it Potter-man- Well, as I said, I'll have the training in flashbacks. That is my favorite way to do that. Hope you liked the chapter, please tell me what you think. Pheonixrising- Winky wasn't included much in this chapter, but I promise you she was there. She'll come in during the next chapter and she will show up in flashbacks of the training as well. The way the function without their key senses is by enhancing their other senses. They can also feed off eachother to some level. Max- The reason Harry and Hermione can't be gone for 15 years and then return as people are leaving the room is because the time in the Void is different, but not changeable. I have it figured to be one year in the void equals 24 days in real time. It took me forever to figure this out, so I'm sticking with it. Yes, Voldemort did continue with this campaign, it will be explained in the next chapter. I'll also explain his immortality in the next chapter. The reason there were regulations as to how often Harry and Severus could meet in dreams in because otherwise Severus would become exhausted in a short amount of time and would be unable to function in the real world. He was needed to teach so he could not come with Harry to the void, which left dream visiting. The reason I had Molly be in the order is simply because I like her character. I feel that she is a good person and is needed for the more sensitve aspects of things, maybe healing or planning more then combat. The reason Sirius is not more prominate is because I don't really like him. Sirius should be showing up soon though. I also promised a scandalous relationship to my beta reader which will be showing up soon. Hehe, oh the evilness. And thank you for the idea of pancake Malfoy, I hope you don't mind that I used it. Hope you liked the story, I really value your opinion, being as you were my very first reviewing. Hope the wait wasn't to long. Rvampire- Thank you for your wonderful review. Makes a girl feel all warm and fuzzy, it does. Give Rama mounds of goodies and sweet stuff for thoughtfulness. I love you soooo much, thanks again. Destruxion- The reason Harry is thirty when he returns is so that his daughters are fifteen. They need to be old enough to handle the spell that will defete Voldemort. I have everything mapped out...Bwahahahaha! Thanks for your review, sorry about the age thing. I haven't decided whether or not his daughters will bond with anybody. Again, sorry about the age thing, but this is the way the story works best, I think. Hope you enjoy the story anyway, thanks for reviewing. Howling Wolf- smiles Glad you like the story. Hope you liked this chapter as well. AthenaKitty- They took the OWL's and NEWTs while in the void. Uh, not really sure what you mean by popping Voldie's clogs, but...they'll beat him eventually. It will be one year, as I explained, but fifteen for Harry. Hope you liked the chapter.