A/N: Took a bit longer to write, but it's longer too. Hopefully, I haven't confused all of you too badly, and if I did, I hope this clears some things up. If you're a Doctor Who fan, you'll notice some influences. Thanks again to Snapeswidow for helping write Dem again. Enjoy.
Fate's Warning
After passing out in Demetri's office, the first thing he noticed upon 'waking' in his dream world was that he could think so clearer now. Then he saw the darkness all around him. Misty grey darkness. Thick, heavy, smoky fog blotted out everything as far as the eye could see. And yet he wasn't afraid of the darkness this time. It was almost peaceful for him. Like he was greeting an old friend.
"What in Circe's name are you doing?" spoke softly a female from somewhere in the darkness. "Severus, please tell me that's not—okay, who are you and what did you do with my fiancé? Because there is no chance in a snowball's hell that you, Severus Snape, came up with all of this on your own."
His eyes narrowed, as he glanced around in the darkness. Where was the voice coming from? All he could see was the gray mist blanketing the world he was in. Yet the woman's voice was clear as day as if she was standing right in front of him. He blinked a few more times, wondering if that'd help.
"Candles, self-charmed violins—wait, are those rose petals?" The woman laughed in pure astonishment. "Where in the Nine Hells did you get that many rose petals? All right. Who are you?"
His brow rose suddenly when he finally saw himself reflected on a nearby patch of fog. It was a memory. It had to be. Not his memory clearly, as this version was much older than he was.
"I'll have you know, Sinistra, I spent a lot of time on this ridiculous fantasy of yours," his older self drawled, crossing his arms with a faint smirk.
"Yeah, clearly," she said with a snort.
The patch of fog the memory was playing out on then fizzled like a tv with a bad connection. He frowned before his eyes darted to another memory cloud showing off to his left. He moved to it to see it better. The moment he realized what he was seeing, though, he glanced away. Aurora's outer robes from before had been exchanged for a sexy smoky blue negligée that left hardly anything to the imagination.
"Well, Severus?" she murmured. "What do you think?"
"I think my NEWT students are going to be very shocked to hear I've suddenly come down with whatever the hell is a good excuse to cancel classes the rest of the day," he heard his older self drawl before the memory vanished.
The memories he was witnessing without a doubt were from his future self. Somehow, he was able to see them now. He didn't know how. He didn't know why. But he didn't want it to stop. Not yet at least. Not until he knew for certain.
"Congratulations, Severus." Aurora's voice was much softer now in the memory replay. He barely heard her, so he moved closer. This memory was displayed in the fog to his right now.
His eyes narrowed on her, noticing her subdued posture and teaching robes. She was fiddling with her hands nervously as she stared at his older self. He couldn't help but frown at what he saw. The other man was barely paying any attention to her. Instead, the older version seemed utterly bored with her as he leaned against his desk, looking down at a journal full of hastily written notes. It took present Severus a moment to realize that this office was actually in the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom.
"The students are lucky to have you as their professor this year," she continued, pushing forward.
"Lucky?" His older self scoffed slamming shut the journal on his desk.
"You know what I mean, Severus."
"Rarely," his older self scoffed, turning away from her. He grabbed a heavy tome from a nearby shelf and started to thumb through it. As if it was the most interesting thing in the world to him right then. When she didn't leave, he sighed and said with a thoroughly bored tone, "You may go, Sinistra. You've done your one good deed for the day."
"Are you truly that bitter and angry?" she snapped back, her hands instantly flying to her hips. "I'm congratulating you, you jackarse, on receiving the Defense post. Something you've wanted for years! But, by all means," she growled, throwing her hands up, "do continue to push away all of us because you're scared to be human for just one second!"
"Scared?" snarled his older self, slamming his book down onto his desk. "Of what? Of the stupid made-up curse? The others were incompetent fools, Sinistra. I am not!"
Present Severus's mouth dropped when he saw her swiftly snatch ahold of his older self before she pushed up his sleeve and exposed his forearm. The Dark Mark was visible now and ugly as ever, black as night. The Dark Lord had returned in this memory. No wonder she was worried.
"You may think you have everyone else fooled, Severus, but only an idiot would not be scared at the sight of that. It's darker than it ever was last year. But please do try to wrap yourself up in your snark and sarcasm. After all, they've done you so much good lately, haven't they?"
"How dare you!"
"No! How dare you!" she snapped, glaring at his older self. "Learn to accept that not everyone in your damn life is out to make your life miserable. Some of us, the few that there are since you're such a fucking idiot sometimes, do actually care and consider you a friend. But, of course, you can't see that over your obnoxiously long nose. Can you, Severus?" She growled, shaking her head. "For flying Hippogryff's sake, just take the damn congratulations, you bloody bat!"
The younger Severus almost instantly burst out laughing. She wasn't angry with his older self. No. She was more annoyed with him than anything else from what he could tell. She had fire, passion, and spunk. And she clearly wasn't afraid to give it back to him. He watched his older self blink in surprise before she stormed away. Did his older self understand now what he did, he wondered. That memory then ended and was quickly replaced by another. It was starting to get rather dizzying to watch.
"A dance, please? That's all I ask. Just one quick dance." Aurora was wearing a long, blood red gown with sparkly sleeves. In the middle was a silver broach that held together the half-cloak.
"No," grumbled his older self, drawing his wand before pointing it at a shaking bush. Both his older self and Aurora were in formal robes, and snow seemed to be falling around them as they were making their way around the castle's grounds.
"Just one dance, Severus," she pleaded, stepping in front of him and the bush. "Surely even you can muster up—"
"I said, no. Perhaps you don't understand the meaning of that word, seeing as how you're—"
"Incorrigible?" she offered with a smile, placing her hand atop of his.
His older self grimaced before he turned away and headed in the opposite direction.
"Why do you always do that? Flee as if I'm asking you to take the Cruciatus Curse for me? It's one dance, Severus, not me asking you to marry me."
He watched his older self stop instantly and whirl back to her. His older self's eyes narrowed into slits before he swiftly glided back to her and grabbed her forearms. The long robes flapped threateningly behind him as he did this.
"You say it as if it's not, but with you it might as well be. After all, you forget, Aurora. I know."
"What? That I fancy you?" she stated with a shrug. "Come on. Everyone knows that. It's not like I've hid that. Though, you know, you likely would have noticed that if you wouldn't have had your head so far up—"
"Don't!" his older self snarled, throwing himself back as if he had been burnt and releasing her.
"Severus!" She stared back at him in clear confusion.
"Leave now, Sinistra, or else I will make you leave! I have no need for silly witches who—"
Even though his older self was snarling at her like a feral animal, she didn't back away from him or cower. Instead, she grabbed his face with both hands and forced him to stare into her eyes, cutting his words off instantly by her shocking action. Even the present Severus jumped at her action.
"I don't know what the hell has gotten into you tonight, probably the Mark or something," she began, "but stop it right now. I wasn't bringing Evans up. I swear on my oath of that. I mean, shit, Severus. I care for you. You may annoy the hell out of me somedays, and I may want to hex your balls off, but I care for you. So, why the hell would I hurt you like that? Hmm?" When he didn't say anything, she released him and scoffed. "You know, for being a so-called genius, you sometimes are so thick."
The younger Severus had to agree with that statement. He had only seen half a dozen memories, and so far it was so clear that she cared for him. How could he have not noticed this? Had he truly been that blinded by Evans? At least he (present Severus) had a reason why he hadn't noticed. His timeline had been altered so none of this would occur.
"What I was going to say before you so rudely interrupted," Aurora said with a heavy sigh "was that you'd know that I care for you if you didn't have your head so far up your own arse with this whole Order/Dumbledore business. And in regards to the one dance being equated to a marriage proposal, that's a load of crap, and you know it. A dance requires no planning, little effort on your part. Whereas if we were to marry, you bet your arse I'm going to make you work for my hand in marriage. It's the least you can do for being the insufferable git you are." She then sighed. "Good night, Severus. Do try not to enjoy ruining too many kids' nights tonight, all right?"
The present Severus chuckled as he watched his older self stare after her in bewilderment as she left him there speechless. He knew he shouldn't be seeing these memories, that it was a side effect of a timeline trying to stabilize itself again, but things were starting to make so much more sense now. Perspective. That was what he was gaining with this. Perspective on why his future self had married her.
And then his world turned upside down as the memory vanished suddenly. He cocked his head to the side and glanced about the darkness. All of the other memories had started a few seconds after the last one ended. Yet this one was taking a bit longer, it seemed. He frowned before he stepped forward.
Whoosh!
The air was sucked out of his lungs. It was as if he had been punched hard in the gut. He recoiled as if he had, in fact, before he saw the image fizzle in on the foggy cloud.
"You seem shocked to see us, Snape. Doesn't he, Roddy?" a gruff voice declared suddenly.
"What's the matter, hmm?" drawled another voice. "Cat got your tongue? Here. Let me loosen that for you. Crucio!"
The pain flooded his nerves. Present and Future Severus both screamed. When the pain vanished, he doubled over and panted loudly. His eyes darted to the memory cloud, noticing that his future self had done the same. They were the same right then. But that was impossible, wasn't it?
"SEVERUS!" Aurora's distant scream echoed in the darkness that had come.
"Silencio, bitch!" one of the men snarled a moment later before the image reappeared.
The Lestrange brothers were in a bedroom with Aurora. One of them was holding a wand to her throat in fact. It took Severus a moment to notice her swollen abdomen. She was pregnant.
"Let her go!" his older self ordered, tied to a chair now. "Your conflict is with me, not her."
The brothers glanced at one another.
"Eh, he makes a valid point," one of them said. "Maybe we should let the little whore go."
"On the other hand . . ." the other brother drawled before he plunged his knife deep into her. Both of the brothers sneered at his older self and tossed her onto the bed as if she was a piece of trash.
The terrible scent of blood burned in his nostrils. Severus felt sick, his stomach rolling.
"No . . ." his older self whispered with a shaky breath. He fought against the ropes that bound him, desperate to reach her. His magic seemed to refuse to cooperate and banish the wretched things.
"So long, traitor!" the brothers mocked as the two men faded away.
His eyes remained glued to her, helpless as he watched the blood pour out of her wounds.
"No . . ." he moaned. It couldn't be like this. It couldn't end this way.
"Shh," she whispered, holding his eyes. "Don't . . . cry, love." She drew in a rattling breath, the blood clearly filling in her lungs as she coughed and sputtered for a moment. "It's . . . all right."
Severus reached towards her, closing his eyes when his hand went through her image. He glanced back at his older self. The man had watched her die, unable to help.
How could she be so calm knowing that she was dying? Find it in herself to reassure him at a time like that? She was dying, and yet she was acting as if it was just a brief interlude. His older self was fighting even harder to reach her now, to save her.
It was a good while before anyone else entered the room. He watched a dark-skinned Auror—Shacklebolt he though his name was—banish his older self's restraints before he stepped in front of him.
"Stop, Snape," the Auror commanded somberly. "It's nothing you want to see. Trust me."
"Get the fuck out of my way, Kingsley!" his older self snarled, pushing the other man away. "She's my wife, not yours! Mine!"
This was why his future self had risked it all. Not for the boy or for himself, but for her.
Meanwhile back in the real world in her rooms, Demetri waited for the flames to turn emerald before she stuck her head in and Firecalled for her old friend. She wanted to strangle her for not warning her about Severus and his asshole attitude. If she knew it would be like this, she'd never have agreed to such a preposterous and ridiculous thing. It took a moment before Aurora's face appeared in the flames.
"Dem?" The witch seemed confused as to why Demetri was Firecalling her.
"Don't you 'Dem' me, Sin!" she snapped. The stress of dealing with her unconscious coworker had gotten on her last nerve. "What the hell did you do!"
"Me? I haven't done anything. What are you going on about?" Aurora then sighed heavily as it hit her. "It's Severus, isn't it?"
Demetri snorted derisively. "No, it's another snarky ass who happens to teach potions. Of course, it's him!"
"Look. Whatever's going on, I'm sure you can handle it."
"Handle it? That man has done nothing but tear me down ever since he's laid eyes on me," she spat. "And today after you left him at the gates like some morbid present for me to collect, he came storming into my office demanding to know why I was lying about saving his sorry ass. Do you know how hard it is not to scream at him or hex him or, hell, punch him?" Demetri sighed, running her hands through hair. "There isn't enough Absinthe in the world that would make handling him easy."
"Ah." She sighed. "He's, well, sort of, you know, an acquired taste."
Demetri scoffed.
"He doesn't like surprises, or new people, or really much of anything," Aurora continued. "And he was probably in a lot of pain and being a total idiot like most men and trying to be macho and ignore his pain. Don't take his words to heart. Please?"
"It sucks, Sin. Hearing him constantly say I don't belong here. I get enough of that back home."
"I know. I wouldn't have put you in anything you couldn't handle, Dem. I owe you, remember?"
"You're really gonna owe me now."
"I know." She sighed before she glanced away briefly. "No matter what he says, you do belong there. Someone has to keep him from being an idiot after all. And I'm not there. So—" An indiscernible noise then echoed through the Floo. "Damn it!" Aurora sighed heavily, her voice lowering to a near whisper as if she was afraid someone was listening in. "Dem, you belong. Whatever he says otherwise, just know that you belong there. I'll see you soon."
"Wait! How am I supposed to keep him from being an idiot when he won't even give me the time of day, let alone listen to me?"
Her friend laughed. "Do what I do. Keep trying and don't give up on him. He's unfortunately quite used to people giving up on him. He'll respect you more if you—"
"Aurora, dear, who are you speaking to?" another voice called out from behind her suddenly.
A male voice Demetri noticed. She cocked her head at the sound of another person coming through the connection. "Shit, did I interrupt something?" She hadn't even considered that there would be someone else there at this hour.
Aurora, however, seemed to reply to her guest instead. "No one, dear. Just working things out in my head. I'll be there in a moment," she called out before sighing. Lowering her voice even more, she replied, "I have to go, Dem. You'll be fine. I promise. Just, you know, give it back to him sometimes." She then gave a sad smile. "And remember . . . this is just for a bit until I've finished. Once it's all good, then—" A loud pop then exploded over the connection before Aurora's fiery face had vanished from the Floo suddenly.
"Sin?" Demetri sighed as the Floo closed. Standing a moment later, she brushed ashes off her skirt and stood up. Now, what was she supposed to do?
"Aurora!" a voice shouted behind her.
Demetri spun, startled, her wand in hand and at the ready. Severus seemed half-crazed again.
"What happened? Get her back!" His dark eyes searched the crackling fireplace desperately.
"Severus, calm down." She sighed. "She closed the Floo. I can't get her back."
He glanced at her before he blinked and frowned. "What did she mean, 'Once she's finished?" His eyes narrowed on her, his voice softening and adopting a politer tone. "Demetri, please."
The way he had said 'please' sent chills down her spine. "I don't know. I swear. She didn't give me any details."
"But she asked you to keep watch on me, right?" He surprisingly didn't seem upset about this. In fact, he seemed almost at peace with it strangely enough. Or maybe that was all in her head.
"She wanted me to try and become friends with you while she wasn't here, but you're not making it easy." At all. In fact, she probably could have become friends with an Inferi long before she would be with him at the rate they were going presently.
His browns then furrowed before he glanced around the room, as if he just now noticed where he was, before he grabbed his head and inhaled deeply.
She stepped towards him, worried as he grabbed his head. The last time he did that, he had passed out on her. "What's wrong?"
"Friends . . ." he repeated and chuckled bitterly before he winced again.
She knelt beside him, frowning. He wasn't making any sense again. "Severus?" Was he about to pass out again? At least this time he was already on her sofa. He wouldn't hurt himself at least.
"I have memories. Memories that aren't mine," he admitted quietly, glancing at her with a haunted look. "I . . . It's like there's two of me inside my head now." He pressed his palms to his eyes and groaned. "In the dream . . . no—rather memories, though, his memories, it was just me and my thoughts only in my head, my memories, but here . . ."
She gently grabbed his hands so he didn't hurt himself more.
"It . . . it has to be the timeline," he stated, holding her gaze. "It always tries to correct itself. Every telly show I've ever seen depicts that." He then inhaled shakily. "I-I remember this room, and yet I've never been in here before." He glanced towards the black spiral staircase in the far corner. "That leads to a bedroom." He then turned to the mantel. "And that portrait, Demetri, it should be Phineas Nigellus, not Morgana."
Demetri frowned. That wasn't good. A person could go insane with what he was describing. She then made her way to the small kitchen, keeping an eye on him as she gathered stuff to make tea. Tea would help. Wasn't that why the British were always drinking the stuff?
"You're a potions master," she started to say quietly. "Know of any potions that could help? Or spells? Or, you know, maybe we could ask Poppy?"
"I'd rather chew off my own arm than to go to Pomfrey," he replied dryly.
She snorted. Yeah, she should have expected that reaction from him on second thought. Maybe a distraction would help him. It couldn't hurt after all. Could it? "She wouldn't let me leave the hospital wing earlier until she did every possible scan she knew to make sure I wasn't hurt as well when I brought her to you." She paused with her hand on the tea kettle when he groaned again, her eyebrows furrowed. He seemed to be getting worse again. Maybe tea wasn't a good idea on second thought.
She moved to the cupboard again and pulled out a bottle of Absinthe and glass. Sin was gonna owe her another few bottles or a trip to France to get some more at the rate she was going if she was going to last an entire year babysitting the man in her sitting room. Pouring a measure into the glass, she glanced at Severus before she grabbed another glass. He definitely looked like he needed one as well.
"And here I thought I'd have an easy year this time," he admitted, flopping back onto the sofa. His breathing was coming out in short, measured gasps. "Full of brats sniveling about how life wasn't fair. As if they knew heartbreak. Knew loss." He glanced up at the ceiling.
"Don't you know the moment you think something is gonna be easy, Karma decides to fuck you over then?" Demetri asked with a soft laugh. She smiled when he half-shrugged. If she could just keep his mind occupied a bit more . . . She then continued to pour the Absinthe into his glass.
"Fixed moments," he declared. "That's what she wrote. Fixed moments."
She frowned as she walked over to him and held out a glass to him. "Fixed moments?" she repeated. "Like a moment that stays the same no matter what sort of changes occur?"
He frowned at the glass before he glanced at her. He then sighed and grabbed it from her. "I don't know. I never really—it wasn't my thing, Astronomy. I did what I had to in order to pass, but—moon lilies and stages of the moon were all that remained after it." He swirled the glass, staring at the liquid. "Why isn't she coming back, Demetri?" He then glanced at her, not waiting for her to answer before he continued. "Because she saw me with Harrison last spring? She's always wanted kids, I thought. Not that I know really, because I never even saw her before, but, you know, the other me . . ." It hurt to say it aloud. Had she left because he had a child? He took a liberal amount of a sip then. Drowning his sorrows was due.
She sipped her drink as she listened to him talk, moving back into the sitting room with the bottle. She set it on the coffee table between them and sat in her chair. "She never mentioned why she was doing what she was doing. She just told me something major had happened, and she couldn't take the teaching position here."
He nodded slowly before he took another drink. It was beginning to get easier to think. Sort of. He was starting to get a little bit of a buzz, but at least he wasn't seeing memories that weren't his any longer. That was a plus.
"It wasn't her by the way—the alterations—or me for that matter," he admitted with a sigh, swirling the Absinthe. "She died in that timeline. I—he didn't tell me that. Not really. Just that he was here to make all of our lives better. Somehow." He glanced upwards and traced a crack with his eyes. "Dumbledore knew. It's why he left last year. He said he had something to finish."
Demetri took another sip from her glass, listening to him.
"So, I thought I was free, you know? That I could raise the boy, give him a good home, be friends with Aurora, and learn why she was the one he had married." He glanced back at Demetri, sighing. "He was so in love with her. They—they were to have a child together. Their first. Only that didn't happen. He," his voice cracked "watched his wife and unborn child die." He inhaled shakily before he closed his eyes. "It's why he came back. The real reason. He wanted me to have a better life than he had. More time with her." His hand clenched tighter around the glass.
Demetri listened to him with growing sadness. She swallowed the lump in her throat and drained her glass before refilling it. She wished she could tell him that Aurora wouldn't have given up on him that easily, but she couldn't form the words. There had to be something Aurora knew that they didn't. It was the only explanation for what was going on. The way her friend had gone on about him sometimes, rare as it was actually, she could feel the depth of Aurora's affection for him.
"But what if her death was a fixed moment, Demetri? What if I'm not supposed to have that time he wanted us to have?" He stared at her, searching her eyes. "What if all this is for nothing? That I'm not supposed to be with her? That I'm meant to always be in the darkness? Alone?" His glass shattered a second later, and he sighed. His eyes fell to the blood dripping from where the glass had cut him. "It failed before after all," he murmured.
When the glass shattered, Demetri jumped before she drew her wand to vanish the mess. Grabbing a towel, she pulled his hand into hers and wiped away the blood before casting a healing charm on the deep gash in his palm.
"We can change things; your future self is proof of that, though." He watched her heal his hand and sighed quietly. "She is coming back, though, Severus. She promised me she would."
It was then as if a switch flicked inside him. His earlier sullen self was quickly replaced with a neutral, nonchalant version. An emotional robot, she thought on second thought.
"I've taken up enough of your time," he stated briskly, inclining his head to her. "Thank you, Demetri, for your kindness. I apologize for making you feel unwanted, though. I should not have taken my anger out on you."
She blinked as she stared at him. He had to be the most complex, strangest man she had ever met. Ranting like a rabid animal one moment, and the next devoid of all emotions, lifeless. Didn't he have a happy middle?
"I am a Le Fay. My family is known for epic temper tantrums, thanks to Morgana not getting her way," she stated weakly. Vanishing her empty cup and the bloody rag, she returned to her chair. "You aren't wasting my time, though. I've no one but a bitter portrait and a familiar to talk to so any company, even yours, is a welcome distraction."
He glanced at the empty portrait above the mantel before he turned back to her with a sigh. "I shouldn't have made your day worse."
"I accept your apology and offer one of my own. I shouldn't have insulted you in front of the rest of the staff. You seemed just as uncomfortable as I was." She watched his gaze fall to the floor. "Unfortunately, I tend to let my mouth get away from me when I'm put on the spot."
He gave her a faint smirk and inclined his head. The silence gently fell around them. It wasn't so noticeable now. In fact, it was almost a comfortable, calming silence. They were coming to a sort of truce, albeit a bit of a rocky one.
"Normally, I wouldn't agree to fraternize with the 'enemy'," he drawled "but I don't suppose I could have another glass? It is after all in poor taste of me to make a lady drink alone."
Demetri snorted and summoned another glass. She poured a measure of Absinthe into both before placing a small metal spoon over his with a sugar cube on top. Using her wand, she cast a quick Aguamenti and watched as the cool water melted the sugar and turned the green liquor opaque. She repeated the process with her glass before handing him his glass.
"Enemy, huh?" she shot back with a scoff. "And here I was thinking of helping you with the predicament our mutual friend placed you in." She sipped from her glass to hide her smirk.
"Predicament?" His eyes narrowed on her. "I don't follow."
"Sin knows way more than she's letting on. She has to or else she'd be here instead of me. You said so yourself that she was supposed to be the Astronomy professor this year, but instead I get a random owl from the headmistress saying I was recommended by a professor in Salem to teach here. A professor, mind you, that I know for a fact hated me because of some past wrong my father supposedly committed against him." She ran her finger around the edge of her glass. "Add to that the whole 'keep an eye on Severus so he doesn't do something foolish' business." She shrugged. "I've known Aurora for a while and subtlety was never her strongest suit."
"But what could that be? What could she possibly be doing? It doesn't make sense. She—He told me that she's always been by my side. I've only seen her twice since leaving Hogwarts the first time. Last spring and earlier today. Three times if you count your Firecall just now. She isn't—The timeline will try to fix itself. It will..." He paused and frowned, clearly losing his train of thought. "I—" A knock then made him draw his wand and point it at the door. "Were you expecting guests?"
Her gaze shot to the door as well as she stood. "Not that I know of." Her brow furrowed at his drawn wand and a sliver of fear slid down her spine. The way he held his wand, it was clear to her that he'd defend him, and maybe her, to the death. "Just a moment," she called out to whomever was knocking at her door, slipping her own wand in her hand before heading to the door. She glanced at Severus as she called out, noticing his head incline to her. "Who is it?"
"Auror Nevins from the Ministry," a booming voice stated from the other side of the door. "Open your door, Miss Le Fay!"
Demetri's grip on her wand tightened at the man's tone before she opened the door just enough to see the man on the other side. Sure enough, he seemed to wear Ministry robes. "Forgive me for being cautious, sir, but I'm going to need to see some identification." She gave him a feigned smile. "After all, it wasn't long ago that there was a war here. Never can be too careful these days, you know?"
The man inclined his head before he flashed his Ministry ID at her. "Now, that we've gotten that out of the way. Mind letting me in?"
Demetri swallowed her snarky retort, as she stepped away from the door and opened it more. "May I ask what beings you to my door at this hour, Mr. Evans?" she asked purposely using the wrong name. It'd throw him, she hoped.
The man's smoky blue eyes darted towards Severus instantly. "I would ask your house guest that question, Miss Le Fay." He then drew in a slow breath. "It is a serious offense to alter time. But then I would imagine you know all about that, don't you, Professor Snape?"
"Now wait just a minute." Demetri moved to stand in front of Severus, her arms crossed over her chests with her wand still in hand. "You can't just accuse someone of something like that, especially not something as far-fetched as time travel without any proof." She glanced at Severus before flicking her gaze back to the Auror. "Is this why two officers from your department attacked Severus in London earlier, leaving him half dead?"
The man frowned before he turned back to her. "I assure you, they weren't from my department. He may have become a nuisance with all his alterations recently, but no one in my department would have attacked him. Not after getting rid of the Dark Lord after all." He then returned his gaze to Severus. "If you were attacked, it wasn't from anyone in the Ministry. At least none from the, shall we say, good side of the Ministry, that is."
She shook her head. "You keep accusing Severus of meddling with time, which without a time turner is impossible." She didn't like what he was getting at.
Nevins cocked his head to the side before he scoffed. "Miss Le Fay, stick to your stars and keep your remarks about time and all of its mysteries to yourself. After all, I don't remark to you about the third star of Ophiuchus that is currently missing and give you my theories on it, do I? And in regard to the accusations . . . well," he drew his wand and waved it in an elaborate design. A shimmering blue glittery light trailed across the air before it swept over Severus. "What do we know? Severus Snape glows. It's astonishing," the Auror drawled, raising a brow at her. "Almost as if he had the dust from time turners on him, little specks of magic, time, and dust."
Demetri gripped her wand so tight her knuckles turned white, itching to hex the man in front of her. "All that proves is he came into contact with the sand inside of a time turner. And according to Croaker's law, the longest period that can be travelled back in time without serious chance of harm to the traveler or time itself is around five hours." Demetri smirked remembering that bit of information from one of the seminars on time travel Aurora had dragged her to a few years back. "I can vouch that the professor has been in the castle for longer than five hours."
"Oh?" Nevins turned to Severus. "Then you're not dreaming of the future, sir? You don't feel like your head is going to explode? Like you're going mad? Not at all?" His smirk grew at Severus's silence. "Hmm. Fascinating. Well, then, perhaps I'll take my leave. After all, if what she says is true, then you won't start to have trouble differentiating what's real and what's not soon enough."
Demetri glanced at Severus, thinking of his passing out and their earlier conversation.
Severus remained stone-faced, though.
Narrowing her eyes, a thought hit her. She turned back to the man she was itching to hex. "You still have yet to show either of us any solid proof of your claims, sir. You wave your wand and say Severus came into contact with sand from a time turner so he must have then meddled with time. Well, since you seem to know so much about MY area of expertise, maybe you know a little of Severus's?" She had him. She so had him and his smug little smirk. "Like how sand from broken time turners are being used in studies to slow effects of certain potions in America? I can send you some of the information from a former professor if you wish."
The Auror gave a quiet chuckle. "We can continue to piss about this all day if you'd like. Or I could just fix your coworker before permanent brain damage sets in. Your choice, Miss Le Fay."
Demetri raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean fix him?" She flicked her gaze towards Severus, who was still just neutrally staring at the Auror. "Wait. You mean, you're not here to arrest him for something technically he didn't do?"
"Arrest him? I may be an Auror, but I don't have that luxury. Different department than mine. And why punish the one who's trying to clean up the mess of another self, you know? Now," he sighed, pulling out a thin vial of a blue liquid "drink up, Professor."
"Well your Ministry hasn't really given either of us any reason to believe they'd be fair. What, with the attack on Severus earlier. Hex first, ask questions later seems to be the Auror motto"
"I may be part of the Ministry, but as I said separate departments, Miss Le Fay."
"People will still judge the whole by the actions of one. I believe Slytherin house is prime example of that. I've been here less than a week and have already been told to stay clear of the professor here as well as to watch the students in his House like a hawk," she replied before glancing at Severus. He hadn't moved or made any indication that he was even following their conversation as he held the potion in his hand, staring at it.
The Auror snorted. "Don't throw rocks at glass houses, Le Fey," he drawled before he turned away. "You could continue to stare at it, Professor Snape. But that won't help when the timeline decides to continue changing. You're out of sync. That much is clear to see."
He was out of sync? She frowned. With what limited knowledge she had on time travel, she did understand why that would make the most sense with everything he had described. It didn't seem the man was trying to hurt either of them. Maybe then it was safe for Severus to drink the potion?
"Severus?"
The dark-haired man seemed to snap out of it for a brief moment then. "You're an Unspeakable, aren't you, Nevins?" Severus didn't wait for a reply. "It's strange that you'd not just obliviate Demetri and me. Isn't that how your kind usually handles these situations? Sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened, that is?"
Demetri's head snapped to Nevin's. Well, that would certainly explain why the man had known about the meddling of time. "Who's to say he won't before he leaves?" she retorted, thinking Severus needed someone backing him up.
"He hasn't drawn his wand, Demetri," Severus stated, motioning to the Auror. "And there's also the quaint little fact that they're not known for exchanging such pleasantries usually as he's doing with us," Severus drawled. "In fact, most act more like ghosts, come in and leave unnoticed."
Nevins smiled and tipped his head to him. "I always believed there was a better way to handle these things. Why make people fear us when we can have a quaint conversation like this? Well, that, and I admit I'm intrigued with your whole case."
"There is that I suppose." Demetri cocked her head as a sliver of the earlier conversation her and Severus had come to mind. The man might not entertain it, but she had to know. "I understand if you can't answer, but what are fixed moments when dealing with altering time? Are they simply moments that are not alterable or is there more to it?"
Nevins sighed, clearly bored with her. "Fixed moments are events that would destabilize the entire universe if one were to alter it. Time would, in essence, stop. Literally. You can bend a fixed moment sometimes, but in the end whatever is to happen must happen. Otherwise, it's free reign, and the whole world goes to hell."
Demetri bit her lip as she thought on the man's words. "And there would be no way to know then if a fixed moment was changed until the shit hit the fan then? And even then, we wouldn't know which moment was changed, right?
"Perhaps for you mere mortals, sure, but there are those who study it, who know what Time And Relative Dimension in Space is, the perils of time travel, who breathe time and all her mysteries. Fixed moments are easy to spot if only one knows where to look."
Demetri nodded, again mentally cursing Aurora for roping her into this mess. "And you or those like you would be able to fix the damage or prevent a fixed moment from being altered?"
"If a fixed moment was altered, but it wasn't. The timeline is fixing herself because there's too much residual energy, and it has to burn itself off. People aren't supposed to go back more than five years, you know?"
"No, I didn't know you could actually time travel more than the five hours a time turner would allow actually."
"Actually," Nevins argued in a haughty voice, "you were aware of it. You did mention Croaker's law, a law created after an incident where someone had gone back longer than the five hours. But that's neither here nor there."
"I was just reciting what little I knew of time travel. I just thought Croaker was warning people to not misuse a time turner. If I didn't personally know that time was messed with, I'd still believe it was impossible."
"Are there people who are in tune with time?" Severus asked quietly.
The Auror smirked. "Do you mean, do certain people notice more when time is altered? Let me ask you. Do you notice when a student is stirring clockwise when they should be stirring anti-clockwise?"
He didn't respond. Did he notice that? Yes. But he had strong self-preservation skills, and brats were known for being careless.
"There's an instrument people use sometimes. It holds the first sands of time. And when there's a disturbance, it either slows or speeds up. In this case, it stopped all together. Naturally, someone like me was intrigued. So, I looked for patterns. At first, I thought someone had come back to kill the Dark Lord. But that wasn't it. That was the entrance point."
Demetri stared back at Severus, raising a questioning eyebrow as she spoke to the Unspeakable. "So, then there was a different purpose to the time travel then?"
"Well, seeing as how I didn't meet the traveler, unless you count finding the body in Gringotts." He stepped forward then to Severus and held out a journal. "Normally, it'd be marked as evidence, but again, different department."
"Body?" Demetri spoke quietly to herself. That meant the future Severus had died. It made sense in a morbid way, seeing as how having two of the same person in any timeline could be disastrous. "Where did you get that?" she asked, recognizing the journal's cover. Aurora was always scribbling in that book when they weren't studying.
Severus stared at the journal in confusion. He slowly grabbed it and opened to the first page. When he saw his name in elegant cursive, he closed his eyes. "Why are you giving this to me?"
"Well, seeing as how you're in it," Nevins replied with a shrug before he glanced at Demetri. It was clear he wasn't going to answer her.
"It's Aurora's, Severus."
"I'm aware of that," he snapped, his fingers curling around it even tighter as if he was afraid someone would take it from him.
Demetri flinched at his harsh tone. She shook her head before moving back to the counter and pouring herself another drink. She threw back the alcohol, wincing at the bitter taste of the fennel and wormwood.
"It was an interesting read to say the least," Nevins stated. "Only there was a bit of a flaw in the execution, I'm afraid."
She refilled her glass, swirling the liquid in the glass as she asked her question. "What do you mean by a flaw?"
"The binding agent that was used. It was supposed to stabilize, only it seemed to have reacted with something else. Something hidden deep within the agent. Though, she couldn't have taken that into consideration. No one would have ever considered it. And why would they? Ancient magic mixed with time turner sand and blood and the unknown. Recipe for disaster if ever there was one. And the timeline reacted. Tonight in fact. Just a bit ago. It created a fixed point. One that cannot be altered now. It's why you're seeing what you're seeing, Severus. It's punishing you for his deeds, his alterations."
"You telling us time is punishing Severus because of something his future self did? If his future self were alive, would the time line punish him instead?"
"Without a doubt, yes, but there is also the fact of, well," Nevins said, letting his voice trail off for a moment before he added, "spoilers."
"Spoilers?"
"What occurred a bit ago?" Severus cut in.
"Time restarted. Now, drink up. Before you find yourself down a very dark path."
"Wait. What do you mean time restarted? The timeline reestablished itself?"
"With a little help from a friend, yes."
Demetri just nodded. So was that what Aurora was doing in London when everyone thought she was in Italy? But how would she have known that time was altered? Or how to restart it for that matter?
Sighing, Severus gave in and tipped back the vial. Normally, he wasn't a trusting person in the slightest, but if time was punishing him . . .
"Good. Now, that's out of the way. Let's get to the matter at hand. You are a descendent of the Ashmores. A living descendant in fact. What do you know about them?" Nevins then glanced at Demetri. "Either of you."
Demetri shrugged and shook her head. "I don't recall ever hearing that name before. "
Severus, however, sighed and quietly stated, "It was an ancient family who was murdered. Why do you ask?"
"That symbol she drew in there." Nevins pointed at the journal. "It was the only thing left recognizable in the Ashmore home when the Aurors discovered their bodies. So, how is it that your future wife in that universe came to draw that particular symbol? At first, we believed it was a rune. Now, though . . ."
Demetri blinked in surprise at the man's words. Future wife—that explained now why Severus was so desperate to know where Aurora was earlier. His future self must have told him about their future relationship. But by doing that he was altering the timeline even further, though.
"I don't follow."
"That symbol, Severus, was carved into the side of the Ministry earlier this evening. Now, my superiors are, as they say, livid. I, however, am naturally just neutral, so... But you see, I went to speak with all those who have come into contact with your future self. All of them. And it wasn't until I saw the drawing at St. Mungo's that I connected the dots."
"Could it be someone who knows of Severus's connection to the Ashmore family and trying to set him up with all these symbols?"
"Perhaps, but—now, forgive me but here I'm going to draw my wand—don't hex." Nevins drew his wand before he traced an intricate pattern into the air, a jet of light trailing behind to show the design. Once he connected the circle, one of the nearby windows burst and the candles and fireplace extinguished, plunging them in instant darkness.
"What the hell!" Demetri drew her own wand but it was knocked out of her hand as Merlin, her cat, let out an ungodly meow and hiss from the kitchen before jumping into her arms.
The room seemed to flicker for a moment before another version of it appeared. This one had a portrait of Phineas Nigellus hanging above the fireplace. A large banner of the night sky hung on one of the walls now. Pictures of friends and family, one of Demetri in fact, were on shelves and end tables. The room then flickered again.
This time the room was empty. No portraits hung. No pictures were anywhere. It was just a cold dark, vacant room. Devoid of all life. And yet in the middle of the floor there was the same symbol Nevins had created with his wand earlier. As they stared at it longer, a thick, red fluid filled the carving before flames shot up out of it.
Once more the room flickered, and it had returned to Demetri's layout minus the symbol and blood-red flames.
"It was carved into St. Mungo's, the Ministry, Hogsmeade, and a dozen or so other places. With more sightings popping up every day."
"What is it?" Demetri asked, stroking the still-terrified cat in her arms. She made another mental note to add a good hex or two when she saw Aurora again. She had to be connected to this all somehow if the room just revealed it was hers in the original timeline. Wait. Could that be it? Blinking at the sudden realization, she glanced at the Unspeakable. "It's a marker, right? Showing where an event from the original timeline was altered?"
"Perhaps, but then we've got a lot of events being altered. More than the ones that I know his future self altered. And some of these go way back in time. Before Severus, Dumbledore, others. I found one carved into the boathouse earlier. Another was at the house of James and Lily Potter's. A row house in Cokeworth just a few blocks down from Severus's parents' home in fact."
"Could they be showing deaths or places someone's died then?" she inquired, remembering reading about the Potters' deaths in the Salem paper. It had made international news as they were connected to the death of Voldemort himself.
"At this point, I honestly do not know. And neither do my colleagues. Which is why I'm here. The timeline is altering itself because of your future self's meddling in it, Severus. With him no longer here, it decided to punish you instead, which is normal. However, the symbols, though, keep popping up. It's connected. The symbols, the future Severus, the alterations that are taking place. I just don't know how. And I was hoping you did."
Severus and Demetri glanced at one another and shrugged.
"The girl is right for once to an extent," a voice suddenly called out from above the mantle.
Demetri sighed before glaring at Morgana, who had returned to her portrait sometime during the conversation. "Morgana, now is not the time."
"You want answers do you not?" the portrait asked, raising a painted eyebrow. When the occupants of the room nodded, she smirked.
"Runes were not always magical in origin; they were once a language used by many ancient civilizations. It wasn't until someone figured out that adding magic to a rune made them become much more. They became a visual anchor to whatever spell was attached. A symbol of protection or warning depending on the caster's intent." She glanced at Severus. "Dark Wizards like Voldemort or Grindelwald took that theory a step further with symbols to strike fear into those who'd oppose them as well as mark those loyal to them."
Demetri sighed. "We know this already. Some of us learned this in first year Runes."
"But did you learn that there are certain runes that Magic itself created? The earth is covered in them, if you know what to look for." She looked at the Unspeakable before continuing. "That rune you see cropping up everywhere is called Fate's Warning. They are markers of sorts of events that the Fates have set to happen, like the fixed moments you spoke of. They are showing up now because someone had meddled with time in such an egregious manner. Only those the event pertains to can activate the rune to see what was to be and what was changed. You, Mr. Nevins, and other Unspeakables are an exception, of course, as are true Seers."
"And you know all of this how?" Demetri asked
"The first time I saw that was in the caverns below Camelot when I reset time in order to become queen and keep Arthur from returning from a quest. While I only went back a day, it was enough to leave a mark."
"You attempted to change a fixed point," Nevins stated with a scoff of astonishment. "You're lucky Time didn't send you to your death or worse. Now, if you'll forgive me, I must speak with my colleagues concerning this new information." He tipped his head to them respectfully. "Professors." Without another word, the man left the rooms.
Severus rubbed the back of his neck and bit back a sigh. He didn't feel as muddled as he had earlier. In fact, ever since he had drunk that potion Nevins had given him, he felt fine. He couldn't recall any knowledge of Aurora that he didn't know already. In fact, the memories he had seen earlier in his dream world seemed to start to fade a bit. He couldn't recall what she smelled like anymore. Or when his future self and she had started courting one another.
"Do you think we should worry?" Demetri asked quietly. "About Nevins knowing what we know?" Her eyes searched his.
"Perhaps, but he did provide us with some information as well."
"What?"
"Oh, keep up, will you? How you're my blood is beyond me. Honestly," Morgana huffed. "Nevins practically connected the dots for you. What with his frequent mentioning of Time, the markers, and Ashmores. They're connected obviously, silly girl. He all but declared it." Morgana then sighed heavily. "I apologize for her, Severus. She gets that from her mother's side obviously."
"It's better than a cursed last name from your side," Demetri snapped, glaring at the portrait.
Severus raised a brow before he slowly moved to stand.
"Are you sure that's wise?" Demetri questioned, moving to offer him a hand.
"Probably not, but I should get back. By now my father probably has taught Harrison every card trick in the book and then some." Not to mention, he was starting to miss both of them.
"You really think you can make it down all those stairs?"
"It's not the first time I was in a weakened state and needed to get back," he admitted quietly.
Demetri sighed, biting her lip. "You are more than welcome to stay here on the couch, but if you insist on going back to your own rooms, I'm going with you. I'd never forgive myself if you killed yourself falling down the stairs out of sheer stubbornness."
"Scared of Aurora, are you?" he said with a soft laugh.
She snorted. "There is that, too."
"Well, I suppose if you're willing to be seen with the nasty bat of the dungeons, I'll agree. After all, I'm not the new professor this year. I don't need to create a reputation."
She laughed. "I know the nasty bat isn't so bad once you get to know him."
"Eh." He waved his hand. "I'm having an off day, obviously."
"Uh huh." She smiled before linking her arm through his as she wandlessly opened the door.
Slowly, they made their way down the winding staircase. She paused every now and then when he seemed to stumble. It took a bit, but eventually, they found themselves in the damp dungeons heading towards the portrait that hid his rooms. However, the portrait opened without either of them saying a word much to their shock.
Tobias raised a brow at both as he stepped outside of the rooms.
Demetri blushed, feeling like a teenager who just got caught by her father breaking curfew. "It's a long story."
"Usually is when a girl and boy get together, lass," Tobias replied with a smirk. He then gently grabbed his son's other side, taking more of his weight from Demetri.
Demetri didn't know whether to laugh or cringe at the words. "That's not what I meant."
"Daddy!" screamed a relieved little boy inside, running towards them. Little Harrison clearly had been enjoying a piece of chocolate cake not too long ago as it was smeared all over his face. The boy's hazel eyes then darted to Demetri. He stopped in mid-step, his mouth dropping. "Is Mummy?" he asked breathlessly, staring at her.
Demetri glanced at Severus before she smiled at the little boy. She let go of Severus's arm to crouch down to Harrison's level. "No, I'm not Mommy. My name is Demetri."
"Ebti?" the little boy repeated before he glanced at his dad. He frowned for a second and turned back to her. A soft smile reached his face. With a slightly hesitant step, he hugged her before he moved to Severus.
Demetri smiled at the boy and hugged him back before standing again.
"Daddy, I gots 'ake!"
She glanced at Tobias. "You gave a two-year-old cake?"
"No..." Tobias's voice trailed off. "The elf did. I just didn't stop 'im."
Demetri laughed. "That elf is in trouble when the boy's sugar high kicks in"
"More like, my father is," Severus drawled, wincing when his dad gently helped him into a high-backed recliner.
"Yeah, yeah." Tobias then picked Harrison up and handed the little boy to Severus. "Watch your dad for me, lad. Will ya?" He didn't wait for Harrison's reply. "I'll see ya out, Demetri."
With a small smile and wave to Harrison and a concerned look at Severus, Demetri followed Tobias to the door.
They stepped outside of the room a moment later.
"Normally, I'd apologize for my boy's behavior, cause he likely went off on ya for somethin' I said, but it seems it's all good. I don't want the details. I just—thank you, Demetri. Yer a good lass."
She smiled at him. "Yeah, well, I've come to realize his bark is a bit bigger than his bite." She then sighed softly. "He did apologize for his earlier comments and attitude, and we've come to a truce of sorts." She glanced at the closed door. "Keep an eye on him, though. We had an unexpected guest tonight and with the attack and potion he took a while ago, he's not really a hundred percent."
Tobias snorted. "And here I thought ya just really worked him over." He inclined his head. "Always, lass."
Demetri blushed again at the older man's insinuation. "I'm not one to kiss and tell, Tobias. A woman has to have some secrets." She smirked before turning to leave. "If he gives you a hard time or his weakness gets worse, let me know?"
"I will."
"Thank you." She hugged him briefly before heading back to the main part of the castle. She had a family to research it seemed.