LESSONS LEARNED
The bubbling gurgles of brewing potions filled the dank room with their cacophonous songs, reverberating off the dungeon walls as the group worked silently, their progress diligently being watched over by the head of Slytherin. Snape was currently pacing around the room, his robes billowing as he swept past the tables, carefully supervising the boys' work. Settling back in his chair he rested his elbows on his desk, fingers interlaced, thoughts beginning to brood over the events that had passed, along with his newly acquired knowledge.
~*~After the urgent meeting was adjourned, with the new seventh years' tutoring schedules established, Severus had managed to corner Dumbledore in his office, his demeanor slightly uncomfortable as he confronted the wizened figure.
"Albus, I want to know who these boys are. As a part of the Order, I think it'd be best that I was kept on top of such information."
"Of course, Severus," agreed the Headmaster. "Won't you have a seat, first? Perhaps some tea, too? Maybe a few lemon drops, I assure you, they're quite delicious."
"No, thank you," he gritted out, but took the proffered seat.
From the folds of his robes, Dumbledore took out his wand, then with a leisure twirl, a teapot and cup instantly appeared on the table. Pouring himself a cup of the scalding liquid, he blew over the golden surface before taking a tentative sip, then settled the cup back on it's saucer with a light 'chink.' The Potions Master cleared his throat irritably, his dark eyes glaring at the elder, as if to say "get on with it, old man."
"I'm sure you are aware of the fact that about two years ago Voldemort had begun to seek answers, and possible weaknesses, he could exploit by attempting to attain the lost prophecy concerning himself, and young Mr. Potter." The Slytherin man scowled at the mention of Harry Potter, the famous Boy-Who-Lived and constant thorn in his side, but otherwise nodded his assent for the other to continue. "However, since the prophecy was destroyed, he had been searching for other means of gaining the upper-hand. It seems that Voldemort had attained knowledge of a rather dangerous spell that has been long forgotten, one in which would actually tamper with the entirety of nature's chronological order.
"His goal was to pass far enough through time, into the future when the war has ended, and the victor decided. With the information he would have acquired, he would then return to the present, and thus manipulate the events pertaining to the course of time in his favor. Two Death Eaters who were contained by the Ministry the previous day, had confessed these plans, after having been made to ingest Veritaserum. Those young men, however, came as an unexpected surprise.
"When the Aurors had moved in to disable whatever spell they were conducting, it was too late, the spell was too far advanced in its stages to be reversed, but it was apparent that something completely wrong had occurred. In conclusion, what was produced from such a folly were those five."
"But Albus, I don't see how they could possibly be connected to any of this."
"Ah, though there is no concrete evidence to support it, I have a theory as to how this came to pass. You see, when the spell was cast the magical link it had thrust through the time continuum had to seek out a sufficient magical conduit; a focus, something stable to establish as a foundation for its base, so that the time travel could be made possible. But when the spell was disturbed, it weakened and had been shot off course, lost within the endless stream of varying continuums meshed together. It latched onto the first, balanced source it could find, needing to stabilize itself and so managed to interfere with their particular era.
"It would appear that coincidence played in as a factor as well, for it was their combined presence at that crucial moment, that managed to be enough to be linked with the spell, but their own magical signatures were too weak to sustain the link's attendance in their time, subsequently an opposite reaction took place. They were instead, pulled into our time. Their unanticipated arrival had caused much alarm in Fudge, and so I was summoned at once to offer my assistance. When I had met these young men, it was strange really...they did not seem to want to acknowledge the existence of magic, nor wield what power they, themselves, possessed."
"You mean, they're squibs? But that wouldn't be right; why would you bother having us tutor the wretched pests if they were, and with six years of education, no doubt? Also, they're already at the age where their seventh year is about to commence, yet without any previous teachings, they're on the same level as newly admitted first years! Have they never attended Hogwarts, or any other wizarding schools? "
"They are not squibs, Severus. Though it appears that their abilities have been lying dormant within themselves for quite sometime, they are in fact quite powerful, if taught properly. As for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," a sorrowful sigh, then, "it seems that in their time, it no longer exists. A mere memory..."~*~
The head of Slytherin shuddered at his recollection of those haunting words. As much as the surly man loathed to be here, surrounded by incompetent peons for nine, long and agonizing months of every year, he just couldn't imagine a world without Hogwarts. This place was like a home for the Potions Master, and he knew that if anything were to cause its non- existence, he would surely be broken over his loss. Unexpectedly, Duo's outburst pulled Severus out of his reverie.
"Ugh! I'm never gonna get this," exclaimed the braided boy, looking spitefully at the burping concoction in front of him, before turning pleading eyes towards the impassive Japanese beside him. "Oi, Heero, you wouldn't mind givin' me hand would ya? Pleeease?"
"Hn. Baka, it's simple chemistry, there's nothing difficult about it," he replied flatly, but sidled towards Duo anyway.
"Aw, I knew I could count on ya," he said cheerily, throwing an arm around the shorter boy's shoulders in a nonchalant fashion. Duo's heart began to soar when he noticed Heero had not shrugged off his arm like he usually did. Though he had yet to confess his feelings for Heero, these precious moments only helped in strengthening his courage to do so. Eventually.
"Honestly, Maxwell, how you've managed this far is beyond me," chided Wufei. At that, Quatre snickered softly while a faint smile formed over Trowa's lips. Here came another bout of the pair's friendly banter. Starting at: 5...4...3...2...1.....
"Yeah, well, what's so wrong about asking for a little help now and then?"
"The fact that you actually need any, of course; it's a sign of weakness."
"Oh c'mon 'Fei, you're not still on with that whole philosophical junk, are ya?"
"'Philisophical junk?!' I'll have you know, Maxwell, that—"
"If you two are quite through with your petty bickering, I suggest you continue your work. Quietly. Term is to begin tomorrow, and I refuse to have the labor I've spent over teaching you miserable five, for these last few weeks, come as a complete waste," snarled Professor Snape. He was glowering at them from behind his desk, stature looming over the stained wood when he had risen to address them.
Undaunted, Wufei crossed his arms over his chest in a silent challenge, while Duo simply faced the surly man with a malicious grin that would put the Potions Master's to shame, "So what are ya gonna do about it, Snape? Give us a detention? Ooh, how I tremble with fear," the remark was finished by an overly exaggerated yawn of boredom.
"I'll not tolerate such cheek from you, Mr. Maxwell," warned the seething wizard.
"Why not? You've been doing so for the last three and a half weeks, what's a little longer?" retorted Duo, the grin instantly shifting to a pleasantly smug smile.
Severus Snape growled threateningly under his breath, but fell silent otherwise. Why did he even bother? True, for the last three and a half weeks, such antics were amazingly tolerated by the bitter professor, but only because nothing he ever said or did seemed to intimidate these brats. Every attempt made to ensure his authority over the boys was well taken into account had failed. It was truly frustrating! Not to mention infuriating, all the more!
He had to admit, however, that these youths were remarkably bright. Even frighteningly so; breaching into genius. Their progress was swift and effortless, the results perfection, all without a flaw. They would make that bloody Gryffindor girl, Hermione Granger, look like a mediocre amateur.
The Potions Master rubbed futilely at his temples, trying to assuage the headache beginning to throb inside his head. Dealing with that infernal Maxwell child was always taxing on his nerves, but he had to remember, regardless of age...he was by far a child. They all were. In fact, these were hardened soldiers, trained for brutal combat in a world once plagued by war.
It was tragic really, how these young men had finally accomplished peace in their time, but have now been brought into another, grueling war, one that didn't even concern them. Severus spent long hours during those passing weeks, mulling over and never understanding why these youths had wanted to help in their cause; actually, it was Dumbledore who never explained this fact to him, claiming that it was their right whether to let others pry about their choice. Severus had the sneaking suspicion that the Headmaster most likely "persuaded" them to join, after all, when it came to Dumbledore, a favor was nothing short of a kindly spoken order. Also, he had a feeling that there was far more to it than the old man had let on...much, much more.
Watching as how Maxwell and Chang had totally disregarded his order by continuing in their argument, he sighed inwardly at the thought of what tomorrow would bring. The thought made the man cringe. How could be possibly forget, that blasted Potter and his worthless friends would return, along with the rest of Hogwarts' menagerie of addled idiots. Tomorrow could only come too soon.
TBC...
The bubbling gurgles of brewing potions filled the dank room with their cacophonous songs, reverberating off the dungeon walls as the group worked silently, their progress diligently being watched over by the head of Slytherin. Snape was currently pacing around the room, his robes billowing as he swept past the tables, carefully supervising the boys' work. Settling back in his chair he rested his elbows on his desk, fingers interlaced, thoughts beginning to brood over the events that had passed, along with his newly acquired knowledge.
~*~After the urgent meeting was adjourned, with the new seventh years' tutoring schedules established, Severus had managed to corner Dumbledore in his office, his demeanor slightly uncomfortable as he confronted the wizened figure.
"Albus, I want to know who these boys are. As a part of the Order, I think it'd be best that I was kept on top of such information."
"Of course, Severus," agreed the Headmaster. "Won't you have a seat, first? Perhaps some tea, too? Maybe a few lemon drops, I assure you, they're quite delicious."
"No, thank you," he gritted out, but took the proffered seat.
From the folds of his robes, Dumbledore took out his wand, then with a leisure twirl, a teapot and cup instantly appeared on the table. Pouring himself a cup of the scalding liquid, he blew over the golden surface before taking a tentative sip, then settled the cup back on it's saucer with a light 'chink.' The Potions Master cleared his throat irritably, his dark eyes glaring at the elder, as if to say "get on with it, old man."
"I'm sure you are aware of the fact that about two years ago Voldemort had begun to seek answers, and possible weaknesses, he could exploit by attempting to attain the lost prophecy concerning himself, and young Mr. Potter." The Slytherin man scowled at the mention of Harry Potter, the famous Boy-Who-Lived and constant thorn in his side, but otherwise nodded his assent for the other to continue. "However, since the prophecy was destroyed, he had been searching for other means of gaining the upper-hand. It seems that Voldemort had attained knowledge of a rather dangerous spell that has been long forgotten, one in which would actually tamper with the entirety of nature's chronological order.
"His goal was to pass far enough through time, into the future when the war has ended, and the victor decided. With the information he would have acquired, he would then return to the present, and thus manipulate the events pertaining to the course of time in his favor. Two Death Eaters who were contained by the Ministry the previous day, had confessed these plans, after having been made to ingest Veritaserum. Those young men, however, came as an unexpected surprise.
"When the Aurors had moved in to disable whatever spell they were conducting, it was too late, the spell was too far advanced in its stages to be reversed, but it was apparent that something completely wrong had occurred. In conclusion, what was produced from such a folly were those five."
"But Albus, I don't see how they could possibly be connected to any of this."
"Ah, though there is no concrete evidence to support it, I have a theory as to how this came to pass. You see, when the spell was cast the magical link it had thrust through the time continuum had to seek out a sufficient magical conduit; a focus, something stable to establish as a foundation for its base, so that the time travel could be made possible. But when the spell was disturbed, it weakened and had been shot off course, lost within the endless stream of varying continuums meshed together. It latched onto the first, balanced source it could find, needing to stabilize itself and so managed to interfere with their particular era.
"It would appear that coincidence played in as a factor as well, for it was their combined presence at that crucial moment, that managed to be enough to be linked with the spell, but their own magical signatures were too weak to sustain the link's attendance in their time, subsequently an opposite reaction took place. They were instead, pulled into our time. Their unanticipated arrival had caused much alarm in Fudge, and so I was summoned at once to offer my assistance. When I had met these young men, it was strange really...they did not seem to want to acknowledge the existence of magic, nor wield what power they, themselves, possessed."
"You mean, they're squibs? But that wouldn't be right; why would you bother having us tutor the wretched pests if they were, and with six years of education, no doubt? Also, they're already at the age where their seventh year is about to commence, yet without any previous teachings, they're on the same level as newly admitted first years! Have they never attended Hogwarts, or any other wizarding schools? "
"They are not squibs, Severus. Though it appears that their abilities have been lying dormant within themselves for quite sometime, they are in fact quite powerful, if taught properly. As for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," a sorrowful sigh, then, "it seems that in their time, it no longer exists. A mere memory..."~*~
The head of Slytherin shuddered at his recollection of those haunting words. As much as the surly man loathed to be here, surrounded by incompetent peons for nine, long and agonizing months of every year, he just couldn't imagine a world without Hogwarts. This place was like a home for the Potions Master, and he knew that if anything were to cause its non- existence, he would surely be broken over his loss. Unexpectedly, Duo's outburst pulled Severus out of his reverie.
"Ugh! I'm never gonna get this," exclaimed the braided boy, looking spitefully at the burping concoction in front of him, before turning pleading eyes towards the impassive Japanese beside him. "Oi, Heero, you wouldn't mind givin' me hand would ya? Pleeease?"
"Hn. Baka, it's simple chemistry, there's nothing difficult about it," he replied flatly, but sidled towards Duo anyway.
"Aw, I knew I could count on ya," he said cheerily, throwing an arm around the shorter boy's shoulders in a nonchalant fashion. Duo's heart began to soar when he noticed Heero had not shrugged off his arm like he usually did. Though he had yet to confess his feelings for Heero, these precious moments only helped in strengthening his courage to do so. Eventually.
"Honestly, Maxwell, how you've managed this far is beyond me," chided Wufei. At that, Quatre snickered softly while a faint smile formed over Trowa's lips. Here came another bout of the pair's friendly banter. Starting at: 5...4...3...2...1.....
"Yeah, well, what's so wrong about asking for a little help now and then?"
"The fact that you actually need any, of course; it's a sign of weakness."
"Oh c'mon 'Fei, you're not still on with that whole philosophical junk, are ya?"
"'Philisophical junk?!' I'll have you know, Maxwell, that—"
"If you two are quite through with your petty bickering, I suggest you continue your work. Quietly. Term is to begin tomorrow, and I refuse to have the labor I've spent over teaching you miserable five, for these last few weeks, come as a complete waste," snarled Professor Snape. He was glowering at them from behind his desk, stature looming over the stained wood when he had risen to address them.
Undaunted, Wufei crossed his arms over his chest in a silent challenge, while Duo simply faced the surly man with a malicious grin that would put the Potions Master's to shame, "So what are ya gonna do about it, Snape? Give us a detention? Ooh, how I tremble with fear," the remark was finished by an overly exaggerated yawn of boredom.
"I'll not tolerate such cheek from you, Mr. Maxwell," warned the seething wizard.
"Why not? You've been doing so for the last three and a half weeks, what's a little longer?" retorted Duo, the grin instantly shifting to a pleasantly smug smile.
Severus Snape growled threateningly under his breath, but fell silent otherwise. Why did he even bother? True, for the last three and a half weeks, such antics were amazingly tolerated by the bitter professor, but only because nothing he ever said or did seemed to intimidate these brats. Every attempt made to ensure his authority over the boys was well taken into account had failed. It was truly frustrating! Not to mention infuriating, all the more!
He had to admit, however, that these youths were remarkably bright. Even frighteningly so; breaching into genius. Their progress was swift and effortless, the results perfection, all without a flaw. They would make that bloody Gryffindor girl, Hermione Granger, look like a mediocre amateur.
The Potions Master rubbed futilely at his temples, trying to assuage the headache beginning to throb inside his head. Dealing with that infernal Maxwell child was always taxing on his nerves, but he had to remember, regardless of age...he was by far a child. They all were. In fact, these were hardened soldiers, trained for brutal combat in a world once plagued by war.
It was tragic really, how these young men had finally accomplished peace in their time, but have now been brought into another, grueling war, one that didn't even concern them. Severus spent long hours during those passing weeks, mulling over and never understanding why these youths had wanted to help in their cause; actually, it was Dumbledore who never explained this fact to him, claiming that it was their right whether to let others pry about their choice. Severus had the sneaking suspicion that the Headmaster most likely "persuaded" them to join, after all, when it came to Dumbledore, a favor was nothing short of a kindly spoken order. Also, he had a feeling that there was far more to it than the old man had let on...much, much more.
Watching as how Maxwell and Chang had totally disregarded his order by continuing in their argument, he sighed inwardly at the thought of what tomorrow would bring. The thought made the man cringe. How could be possibly forget, that blasted Potter and his worthless friends would return, along with the rest of Hogwarts' menagerie of addled idiots. Tomorrow could only come too soon.
TBC...