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!
"I think it's so cold because Dementors are nearby," Harry quickly informed his friends, as a thought crossed his mind. 'I didn't know that Voldemort had already managed to control them,' the thought, terrified at the idea.
"I'm going to transform into my phoenix form and flash the two of you back to the school, and then I'll return for the other three. Just grab my tail feathers, and you wait here; I'll be back in an instant. We have to hurry," Harry urgently told his friends and transformed into Icicle. He flashed Lily and Severus back to the school, instructing them to send Dumbledore to Hogsmeade right away, before he flashed back to fetch Sirius, James and Remus. Harry was glad that Peter wasn't with them that day. 'I'd be very tempted to just leave him to the Dementors,' he thought as he arrived at Hogsmeade, realising in horror that the Dementors were already there.
He shooed the Marauders out of the way and stood in front of them, thinking about how happy his life was now as he shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" However, when Harry had expected his stag Patronus to come out of his wand, to his huge surprise, a strong, white ice phoenix Patronus appeared and chased off the Dementors. 'Why is my Patronus suddenly a phoenix although it was a stag for nearly three years?' he wondered, looking at the scene in disbelief.
By then Fawkes arrived with Dumbledore in tow, and the headmaster conjured his phoenix Patronus as well. The Dementors were still nearby, and one of them was just trying to attack a small child. 'Oh no, not a child,' Harry thought, horrified. He summoned all his powers to conjure one more Patronus to chase the Dementors away completely, before he collapsed on the ground.
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The Marauders stood there, unmoving, while Dumbledore rushed over to Harry. "Very well done, my boy. Thank you. Are you all right?" he enquired in apparent concern.
Harry smiled tiredly and gratefully took the headmaster's outstretched hand to pull himself upright. "I'm fine, Professor; thank you for coming to help."
A lot of people, who had witnessed the scene in horror, came running to thank Dumbledore and Harry, but James, Remus and Sirius efficiently saved them from the crowd.
The headmaster gave Harry a sharp look. "I'll ask Fawkes to take you and the others to the hospital wing; you have to recover from the effects of the Dementors."
With that, Harry was wide-awake and objected vehemently, "No Professor. We won't go there, or at least I won't. We'll go to Honeydukes and buy lots of chocolate to eat, so that we'll be fine in a blink."
The Marauders nodded in agreement. The four boys strode over to Honeydukes and bought four huge pieces of chocolate, which they devoured on their way back to Hogwarts. As they walked through the small town, they were once again pulled into conversations with several residents of Hogsmeade as well as other students, who had observed the earlier scene.
"Do you know about the hidden passage, which leads from the cellar of Honeydukes to Hogwarts?" Harry couldn't help asking on their way back, and the Marauders' eyes widened in apparent delight at the news.
James cast Harry a sharp look. "Why do you know such things?" he asked in suspicion. "You've only been at Hogwarts for two months, while we've been here for five years, and we still need you to teach us about hidden passages?"
"Oh, I overheard two students talking about it and thought it might be interesting to try it out," Harry replied quickly, inwardly grinning at his friends' surprise.
"Of course," said Sirius. "We have to try it out during the night. Harry, where at Hogwarts does the passage begin?"
"On the third floor behind the statue of a one-eyed witch; if I understood it correctly, you have to say 'Discendio' to get down to the passage," Harry replied, smirking.
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At dinner, the events of Hogsmeade were the topic of the day, much to Harry's chagrin. He groaned inwardly and thought, 'So much for not attracting attention.'
When Remus asked him, "Harry, I'd like to learn how to do that. Could you perhaps teach me the Patronus charm?" Harry had to restrain himself from laughing too much.
"Of course, I can teach you," he promised, grinning inwardly as he remembered how Remus had taught him that very spell a few years ago.
Suddenly, a big brown owl approached Harry, holding a small parchment in her foot. Harry hesitated to accept the parchment, knowing that there was no one who would send him a letter, but when James tried to take the letter for him, the owl wouldn't allow him to do so. Instead, it tried to hack his finger, and Lily said, "It looks like a school owl. Probably it would be better if Harry took the parchment from her."
Harry glared at his mother and the owl, before he hesitantly reached for the parchment. The owl nipped from his pumpkin juice and flew away, and Harry slowly unfolded the letter.
'Mr. Pane,
you have an appointment with Madam Pomfrey at thirty minutes before curfew tonight. If you miss it, you will be grounded until the end of the month.
M. McGonagall'
Harry groaned. 'Why can't they just leave me alone?' he thought in absolute annoyance. 'I am not a baby. I can well look after myself.'
Seeing the inquiring looks of his friends, he mouthed "later," before he left the Great Hall heading to the Potions classroom without so much as a glance at the head table.
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Lily and Severus arrived a few minutes later. Severus gave Harry a small smile and said, "Thanks Harry for bringing us back to the school safely."
Harry smiled back. "You're welcome, but I don't want to talk about it anymore. Are we going to brew potions today, or do you want to practise your Animagus transformation?"
Severus shrugged "I don't mind. Either will be fine."
Lily said eagerly, "I want to practise becoming an owl. After seeing Harry as a phoenix, I can't wait to manage the transformation as well."
Harry nodded, smirking. "I don't want to do anything but watch you practising. I'm a bit tired today. Let's go to the Room of Requirement though; it'll be much more convenient for you. I'll flash you there, since I don't have much time tonight." He showed them McGonagall's letter.
Harry changed into his phoenix form and back after a few seconds, telling his friends in a small voice, "I'm sorry, but I don't have the energy to flash all of us tonight; we'll just have to walk."
Arriving in the Room of Requirement that only held three comfortable sofas and a soft, fluffy ground, Lily and Severus tried to transform completely, while Harry relaxed in his phoenix form, only flying around from time to time. Lily finally managed to transform her whole body apart from her head and was very proud. 'She looks just like Hedwig,' Harry thought in amazement.
"Well done Lily, you'll get it very soon," he commended her eagerly. "And Severus, I think changing into a snake is much more difficult than into a bird, because it just consists of one torso and doesn't have different limbs, so being able to change your legs is already a great success. Very good, but I have to head back now. Good night."
Lily looked at him in surprise. "Harry wait, I'm coming with you. I'll accompany you to Madam Pomfrey," she offered in a soft voice.
"Thank you Lily. I really appreciate it," Harry replied gratefully, feeling slightly consoled at the thought of not having to face the strict healer alone.
"Are you so afraid of her? What is it about now; because you missed breakfast this morning?" Severus asked incredulously, causing Harry to let out a deep sigh.
"Yes. She's going to give me a nutrient potion. But I'm afraid that it's more than that. The Patronus charm really requires a lot of magic. Mine is normally very strong, because I have a lot of magic available. But today I had to conjure two strong Patroni, and therefore my magical powers are quite depleted. And if she gets to know that, she won't let me go back to Gryffindor tonight."
"Poor Harry," Severus sneered. "Very well then, let's go together. Maybe we can do something to distract her from you."
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When they arrived at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall were already waiting for Harry. Seeing his head of house, Harry considered running away, but Severus held him back, asking sharply, "Do you really want to get yourself into more trouble?"
"He's right, Harry. Let's go; otherwise, you'll be grounded for weeks," Lily agreed immediately.
"Oh no; why did I become friends with people who are prefects?" Harry sighed, rolling his eyes in annoyance.
Madam Pomfrey gave Harry a disapproving look. "I didn't want to see you again so soon, Mr. Pane. Moreover, I thought that you had learned something during the last few days, but I'm obviously wrong, considering that you saw fit to miss breakfast again. Apart from that I heard you conjured two strong Patronus charms, and I can't believe that you're well enough to run around the castle."
"I went outside in the morning and forgot the time; it wasn't intentional, and I'm not running around the castle. I was only talking to my friends," Harry replied in a huff, glaring at the healer.
"Well, sit here and be quiet, so that I can check on you," Poppy replied, waving her wand over Harry, who looked so annoyed that his friends had a hard time not to burst out into laughter.
McGonagall's expression was that of utter annoyance as well; however, she seemed to be worried too. "How is he, Poppy?" she asked in concern. "What does he need? Bed rest?"
"I'm afraid yes, Minerva. I have to keep him here," the healer replied, sternly. "He has used much too much magic and depleted his powers completely."
Now Harry became very angry. "No! I won't stay here. I can rest as well in my own bed in the dormitory. Please, let me go," he begged.
His head of house pulled a chair over to him and sat down. "I'm sorry Harry, but I have the impression that you're not able to look after yourself. So we'll have to look after you at least until you show us that you act more responsible towards yourself."
Lily and Severus laughed. "It's all right, Harry; it's near curfew anyway. We'll come back to fetch you before breakfast tomorrow morning."
Harry smiled sadly at his friends, but he was too tired to fight anymore. With a flick of Pomfrey's wand, he was dressed in hospital pyjamas, lay down, and was asleep within seconds.
When Harry woke up at lunchtime on Sunday, Lily and Severus were sitting next to his bed doing homework. 'Just like Ron and Hermione,' he thought and, feeling very happy, mumbled, "Good morning Lily, Severus."
"Good morning sleepyhead. We thought you were going to sleep for the whole weekend," Severus said teasingly.
"How do you feel Harry?" Lily asked.
"Fine. Did the dragon say I can go?" Harry asked hopefully.
Severus shook his head. "No, she didn't say anything so far."
Lily handed him a newspaper, and his eyes caught the headline of the Daily Prophet.
"Hogwarts professor and student save Hogsmeade from Dementors"
Underneath was a photo of Dumbledore's and Harry's two phoenix Patroni chasing the Dementors. Harry groaned.
"At least they didn't mention your name," Severus said comfortingly.
"Why? What's the problem with the newspaper?" Lily asked curiously.
"Harry received too much attention in the past, and he wanted to enjoy himself this time without attracting attention," Severus explained, smirking.
Suddenly, McGonagall entered the room and came over, seeing that Harry was awake. "Good morning Harry. How are you?" she asked, gently feeling his forehead.
"I'm fine. May I leave now?" Harry asked, completely annoyed by all the fuss the teachers made about him.
"No Mr. Pane. Madam Pomfrey had to go to Hogsmeade for the afternoon, but she said your friends may stay here if you wish, and you'll probably be allowed to return to your dormitory just before curfew."
"No Professor, I'm fine, and I have to go and do my homework. Please let me go," Harry pleaded.
"Mr. Pane, if you're going to throw a temper tantrum again, I will give you a sleeping potion," McGonagall replied sternly, glaring at the boy. "You don't have to do your homework for tomorrow; I will alert your teachers accordingly. I'll ask the house-elves to bring lunch for the three of you now, and I'll come by again later. If you need me or if anyone comes looking for Madam Pomfrey, you can find me in my office."
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The three friends had just finished their lunch, when James, Remus and Sirius entered the hospital wing. Harry laughed at their sight. "Cool; now, we can have a party here."
"That's a good idea," Sirius agreed. "Maybe you could explain to all of us what you did to the Dementors yesterday, and perhaps you could try to teach it to all of us?"
Harry sighed. "Well, why not?" he agreed and thoughtfully began to describe, "The Patronus Charm is a strong charm of the light side, and it's the only thing that works against the Dementors. When I learned to do it, we used a Boggart to practise, but since we don't have one here, we can just practise the Patronus as it is. Do you all want to participate? Lily and Severus too? In fact, I'd recommend it, because it's very useful and already helped me several times."
"Of course we want to learn the charm, don't we, Severus?" Lily replied, her green eyes twinkling eagerly, and Severus nodded his agreement.
"All right then, take your wand out, try to think of a very happy memory, and say the incantation 'Expecto Patronum'," Harry instructed his friends.
"What kind of memory?" James asked, looking at his friend in confusion.
Harry let out a long sigh. "Anything, it just has to be very good and strong. The first time I thought about my first ride on a broom, but it wasn't strong enough and didn't work. Then I tried to imagine my parents cuddling with me during the time before they were murdered, although I didn't even know if that memory was real or just a dream. It worked though."
Seeing that everyone was listening interestedly, he continued, "Yesterday, I tried to imagine how happy I'm here and how good friends you all are, and as you could see, it worked. Just try it out."
After one hour of extensive practice, everyone could get some white mist out of their wands. By dinnertime, after a few breaks and several more hours of practice, Severus and Sirius could produce corporeal Patroni. Severus' was a snake, and Sirius' a dog. Knowing what James' Patronus was going to become, with a little fantasy Harry could guess it from the white mist he produced.
Finally, McGonagall came in and saw what they were doing. "This is the hospital wing and not a classroom," she sharply informed the students, glaring at the students as she shooed everyone out.
"All right, we'll have to practise some more. The best would be next Saturday afternoon. We can use the Room of Requirement. Maybe by then we can find a Boggart to practise with," Harry managed to say to his friends before they left the room.
McGonagall cast Harry an angry glare but asked curiously, "Mr. Pane, what exactly is the Room of Requirement?"
Harry explained about the room and offered his head of house to take her there. However, the teacher replied, "Not today, Harry, but maybe tomorrow evening. I'm curious if Professor Dumbledore knows about the room."
Harry thought for a moment. "Probably not," he replied finally. "In my fifth year, we had a fraud of a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, so that I founded my own defence group, called Dumbledore's Army, and we always used this room for our meetings and training. When you and Dumbledore heard about the group, I showed the room to you, and neither of you seemed to know about it."
"Which year's students did you teach, and what did you teach them?" the professor asked with interest.
"Everything I deemed useful, like for example the Patronus charm or blocking spells, and the students were from all years and various houses. All fifth-year students of my group received an O in their Defence Against the Dark Arts OWLs," Harry finished his explanation, his voice laced with pride, noticing that the professor seemed to be impressed.
"Very well; I have to leave for the Order meeting. Please stay here until Madam Pomfrey releases you. I'll meet you at breakfast tomorrow. Good night, Harry."
"Good night, Professor," Harry replied, while his thoughts went haywire. 'Shall I flash over to Fawkes in order to attend the Order meeting?' he mused. 'I'd love to listen in to the meeting, but what if Madam Pomfrey returns while I'm away?' However, he dismissed the unsettling thought and transformed into Icicle.
tbc...
Thank you so much for your kind reviews!