The Changed Timeline
by Teddylonglong
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
COMPLETELY AU! Partly OOC! Time travel!
Harry carefully opened his eyes, letting out a moan. His whole body was sore, and he could barely move his limbs. He glanced around wondering where he was, only to recognize the Potions classroom. 'How did I get here?' he wondered, when he finally recalled what had happened in his Potions class. 'Where did everyone go? Why did they just leave me here? Where's Hermione?' he thought in disbelief, trying to ignore the pain as well as possible.
Suddenly hearing sounds coming from the front of the classroom, Harry tried to move his head in order to assess if someone was there who might be able to help him. He noticed a figure in black robes, huddled over a cauldron in the front of the classroom. 'That can only be Snape, but I need help so I'll have to ask the git,' he thought, before he closed his eyes and tried to occlude his mind in order to somehow get the pain under control.
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Severus Snape, a Slytherin student in his sixth year, was just brewing an experimental potion, when he heard a soft groan at the far end of the classroom. He hurriedly put his potion under a stasis charm and went to see what was wrong, letting out a surprised gasp, when he saw a student lying on the floor near the door, wincing in pain.
"Potter?" he asked in surprise and for once without malice in his voice. "What are you doing here? What happened?" He detested his Gryffindor classmate, however, since the boy obviously was in pain, he could not simply ignore him.
"Please help me Professor; it hurts," Harry mumbled.
"Professor? Did you hit your head, Potter?" Severus enquired, eyeing his rival in suspicion. 'Is this a prank, or has he just gone mad?' he wondered, glancing around to make sure that none of the Gryffindor's friends were around to prank him.
"If you hadn't insulted me as usual, my potion would never have exploded. Could you please either help me get up or call one of my friends for me?" Harry asked, sounding impatiently.
"I've no idea what you're talking about, Potter, but I'll take you to the hospital wing," the Slytherin replied, moving to help the Gryffindor stand up.
"No, not to the hospital wing. I just want to return to my dormitory, Professor, please, I'll be fine," Harry begged, giving his most hated teacher a pleading look.
Considering how strangely the other boy behaved, Severus replied, "No, I don't think so." He conjured a stretcher and levitated Harry to the hospital wing, where he surprisingly gently put him on the first bed next to the healer's office and went to get Madam Pomfrey.
She hurried into the wing and asked Severus, "What happened and why is it you who brought him here?" She gave Harry a sharp look and gasped, unable to believe her eyes. "What have you done to your eyes, Mr. Potter, and where did you get that scar?"
Harry, who was in too much pain to even notice how much younger they both looked and that Severus' voice even sounded different than before, was totally annoyed. "You know the colour of my eyes and you've seen my scar often enough to know I've had it since I was fifteen months old, not to mention the rest of the bloody wizarding world," he groaned. "Are you trying to harass me as well? It's bad enough to be brought here by Snape. Can't you just give me a pain relieving potion, so that I can be on my way back to my dormitory?"
"If you ask me, Madam Pomfrey, he must have hit his head. He suddenly keeps calling me 'Professor,'" Severus spoke up, frowning.
"Mr. Snape, please go and get Professor Dumbledore." Poppy waved her wand over Harry. "Now, Mr. Potter, how did you manage to put yourself into such a considerable amount of pain?"
Harry sighed. 'Why can't she just give me a pain relieving potion and let me sleep?' he thought in annoyance but explained, "It was a Potions accident. We were brewing the Esnopia Potion, and the greasy git – sorry, I mean Professor Snape – insulted me so much that I just lost it and threw all ingredients into my cauldron at the same time. Then the potion exploded, and the next thing I knew was that I was lying on the floor of the Potions classroom and everything hurt. I don't know why none of my classmates took me with them." 'Maybe Snape put them under the Imperius curse in order to prolong my suffering,' he thought, glaring at the Slytherin who just returned to the hospital wing.
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Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall arrived with Severus in tow just in time to hear Harry's last sentence.
"Good evening my boy. I assume that you're Mr. Potter," the headmaster greeted Harry in a gentle voice.
"Of course; who else would I be?" Harry returned the question, now feeling totally fed up. "Are you all under the Imperius curse, or what's wrong? Even Madam Pomfrey made fun of me because of my scar. You've all known me for five years; so what's so different today?" He was starting to get really upset. 'Can't they see that I'm in pain and not interested in playing silly games?'
"Now Mr. Potter, watch your tongue and be a bit more polite and cooperative. We don't know yet what's wrong with you, but we're trying to help you," McGonagall snapped, and Harry noticed that her mouth was stretched to a thin line, which only happened when she was extremely angry.
He gave her an apologizing look, and his eyes grew bigger as he noticed that his head of house looked completely different. "Wow, you look so young, Professor!" he blurted out in total amazement.
"Why thank you, Mr. Potter. However, I don't think this is the place..."
"Wait a moment, Minerva," the headmaster interrupted her quickly. "Maybe Mr. Potter can tell us a bit about himself. Am I correct assuming that you're related to our James Potter?"
"James? James was my father. I'm Harry James Potter. Err... Professor, what's wrong? What happened?" Being in too much pain to come to any conclusion himself, he gave the teachers a confused glance.
McGonagall gasped, while Dumbledore looked amused, and his eyes were twinkling madly. Pomfrey seemed as if nothing could really shock her, and Severus did not show any emotions, although his stomach was doing flip-flops and he groaned inwardly. 'A son of James Potter – can things even get worse?' he thought.
"Oh my dear boy," the headmaster finally spoke up. "You obviously managed to time travel into the past. It's now the year 1976." Ignoring the shocked expression that spread over Harry's face, he asked, "What year are you from? Are you attending Hogwarts in your time, what year are you in, and what house do you preside in?"
Harry was so stunned that he could only look from one person to the next. 'Right, even Snape is much younger than he was this morning. He's about my age now,' he thought. 'And my parents? They are supposed to be in Snape's year, so they should be here as well.' His thoughts were going haywire. Finally, he managed to answer, "If that's so, I must have travelled twenty years, and I'm a Gryffindor sixth year. I don't know how I came here; it was a Potions accident." 'Only because Snape drove me over the edge,' he thought, glancing at the Slytherin boy.
Madam Pomfrey suddenly interrupted them. "Since he is obviously in pain, I suggest that we try to help him first," she said and then addressed Snape. "Severus, he told me he was brewing the Esnopia potion and inserted all the ingredients at the same time. As a result, he came here and seems to be in a lot of pain. Do you know the potion, and do you know how to counter it, or do we have to call Professor Slughorn? Will the pain just go away with pain relievers?"
Severus thought for a moment and replied, "No, probably not. You will need a potion of the same ingredients together with a special neutralizer to counteract the effects, like for example a Bezoar. I can brew the potion for Potter," he offered, only to add, "but it'll take about an hour."
"That would be good; thank you my boy," Professor Dumbledore threw in. "Could you brew it immediately and come back to make Harry drink the potion as soon as possible, please?"
"All right; it'll only help to kill the pain though; how we can send him back to the future, I have no clue," Severus replied in a firm voice.
"Of course not Severus; Harry will just have to remain here for the time being. Maybe during the next weeks or months, you and Harry can get together and research about time travel with potions?"
"Yes Professor, I would enjoy doing that kind of research," Severus replied in a soft voice, and Harry noticed in surprise that a rare smile was playing on the boy's lips.
"Okay, I'll help, but according to Professor Snape, I'm an absolute dunderhead at Potions," Harry mumbled, groaning inwardly. 'Bad enough that I managed to catapult myself into the past, but now my hope to return to my own time depends on a younger version of the greasy git and my own non-existent brewing abilities. Can things even get worse?'
"Mr. Potter, we'll leave you here for the night," Dumbledore decided. "Severus will bring the potion for you as soon as it's ready, and Professor McGonagall will collect you here tomorrow morning before breakfast to escort you to my office. Since the fact that you're related to James Potter is more than obvious, we'll have to give you a new name. What about Harry Pane? We'll think about everything else tomorrow morning. Good night Harry."
"Good night Professors."
An hour later, Severus woke Harry up. He grudgingly helped him to sit up and pressed the phial against Harry's lips. "Swallow Potter," he instructed the boy sharply.
Harry obeyed and felt better immediately, relaxing visibly. "Thank you, Severus," Harry mumbled gratefully. "And…"
"What?" Severus asked impatiently.
"Um… I think I have to apologize for insulting you. I was very angry at your future self, but of course that's not you and it's not your fault. Therefore, I'm sorry. And thanks for brewing the potion for me even though I was insulting you earlier," Harry said hesitantly, anxiously playing with his bed covers. Finally, he looked up and received one of the rare smiles from Severus.
"You are welcome, Harry. It's all right; I am sorry myself; I wasn't very friendly to you because I assumed you were your father, and we don't have a good relationship," Severus replied in a soft voice.
Harry nodded. "I know that," he admitted. "That's the main reason why your older self hates me so much, but maybe we can try to get along better, okay? I'm in Gryffindor, although the Sorting Hat originally wanted to place me in Slytherin, but I'm not my father, and as far as I've heard about him, I must be very different from him."
"Let's try anyway; maybe we can change the future a bit. Good night, Harry."
"Good night, and thanks again for the potion, Severus."
"You're welcome," Severus replied, before he strode out of the hospital wing in a fast pace.
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In the morning, Harry woke up in concern and anticipation at the same time. 'Yesterday was the craziest day in my life – being goaded into a Potions accident by the bat of the dungeons Snape only to arrive in the time of my parents making friends with a twenty years younger Snape. Will I ever be able to return to the future to be with my friends? Will my parents be in the same year? Will we have classes together?' Suddenly, he became extremely excited. 'What will they say when they hear that their son is here? Will I be allowed to talk to them about it at all? I have to be careful not to change the future, don't I?'
He had just taken a shower and finished getting dressed when Professor McGonagall arrived to take him to the headmaster's office. On the way there, Harry noticed that nothing was really different to his own time. The wizards in the moving pictures all along the way were the same, and everything looked like he remembered it from the future.
"Professor, what year are my parents in now?" he hesitantly asked his stern head of house.
"I suspect that your mother is Lily Evans?" McGonagall enquired, giving him a questioning look.
"Yes Professor," Harry confirmed, noticing that the teacher flashed him a rare small smile and wondered why. He even caught something in her eyes that seemed like pride.
'Strange; oh well she told me once that she liked my parents,' he thought as they stopped at the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office.
"Then both of them are sixth year Gryffindors. Chocolate frogs," she told the gargoyle.
Harry was getting even more excited. 'Sixth year Gryffindors? Then I'll be in the same house and even in the same year as my parents.' Deep in thoughts, he quickly stumbled up the stairs after the professor.
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"Good morning, Minerva, Harry. I hope you are well on this fine morning. Lemon drop?" the headmaster greeted them and continued, when both of his guests declined, "Now Harry, we have to decide a few things. First of all, I suggested last night that your name will be Harry Pane; will that be agreeable with you?"
"Of course Professor, that's fine," Harry agreed. 'However, will anyone believe that, if I look like my father?' he wondered, feeling slightly confused about the necessity of a name change.
"Another point is that no one should know about the fact that you come from the future," Dumbledore continued. "We have to tell them a story, maybe that you're an exchange student from abroad. You even shouldn't talk to us about anything about the future. However, as I suppose that it's necessary for you to have someone to confide in, I suggest that you speak with Professor McGonagall and me about anything you wish, and we'll remember to cast a memory charm on ourselves, before you go back to the future."
"Okay, thank you Professors. I appreciate it very much," Harry replied gratefully, glad that he would have someone to talk to. He suddenly remembered Severus, but Dumbledore continued to talk before he could voice his thoughts.
"As you know, Severus already knows about you as well; therefore, you can speak about certain things with him, too. However, try not to change the future too much, and make sure that you keep your research with Severus private. He is as much in need of a good friend as you are at the moment, and I hope that you'll get along with each other in spite of what I heard you say about his future self yesterday."
"We'll try Professor. When he brought me the potion, we already talked about that matter for a little while," Harry said in a soft voice.
"That's good my boy," Dumbledore acknowledged, smiling. "Now, Madam Pomfrey knows as well, but she is bound to her healer's oath and won't tell any of your secrets to others."
"Excuse me sir, but what about my parents? May I speak at least to my mother about the matter?" Harry asked, giving the headmaster a pleading look.
The two professors exchanged a glance, before Dumbledore replied, "I believe it would be for the best if you tried not to reveal your identity to anyone but those, whom I already mentioned." Harry grudgingly agreed, and the headmaster continued, "Very well. Since you came here due to an accident, I assume that you don't have any belongings with you; is that correct?"
"Yes sir, that's true. I don't have anything with me except for the clothes I'm wearing, but I don't have any money to buy anything either. What am I supposed to do?" Harry asked, only now realising his problem.
"Well, we have certain funds for students, who are in need," the headmaster replied, thoughtfully. "One of our staff will take you to Hogsmeade this morning to buy your school books, clothes and everything else you need, a broom as well in case you play Quidditch."
"Thank you so much, Professor," Harry replied in relief. "I'll be able to pay everything back as soon as I'm back in my own time. I've been playing Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team since my first year, and I'd love to play if there was a chance."
Professor McGonagall let out a huge gasp. "First year? Who was the head of Gryffindor in your time? In our time, students aren't allowed on the house teams in their first year."
Harry could not help chuckling. "You've been my head of house since my first year, Professor, and it was you, who talked your Quidditch captain into making me the Seeker and convinced Professor Dumbledore to forget the fact that I was a first year. You even enjoyed quite a fight with Professor Snape about the matter."
Professor McGonagall shook her head. "I must have become really old in your time. Anyway, I'll take you to Hogsmeade today, and among your school things, we'll buy a broom for you. Gryffindor is indeed in need of a new Seeker, and I'll have a word with your father, our Quidditch captain, about you. Please meet me in the entrance hall at 11 o'clock."
"All right Professor; thank you very much," Harry replied gratefully, feeling very relieved that everyone, whom he had met in the past so far, was so friendly and understanding.
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Professor Dumbledore turned to Harry once more. "Although I know that you've already been sorted in your time, the Hogwarts rules require a Sorting at this time as well. Are you ready to talk to Sopho again?"
Harry looked up to the shelf, where he knew the Sorting Hat was placed. 'I never heard that his name was Sopho,' he thought, smiling, as he said, "Of course Professor."
Professor McGonagall fetched the Sorting Hat from the shelf and put it on Harry's head.
tbc...
Thank you very much for your kind comments on the previous chapter!