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!
"Oh no," Harry groaned, looking around in shock. "Dementors! I had completely forgotten that they were still around. What are we going to do? It won't be enough to chase them away, but we have to really vanquish them this time. Otherwise, they'll just come back again, because they're starved."
"Well, that might be true, but how are we supposed to fight them?" Severus queried, quirking an eyebrow.
Harry remained pensive for a moment, absentmindedly glancing around, before he pulled his wand and a chocolate frog out of his robe pocket and transfigured the chocolate frog into a huge machine with a large hose on top of it.
"What's that supposed to be, and what is it for?" Severus queried, observing him with obvious amusement.
"Give me some time, and you'll know," Harry replied, mysteriously, smirking as he pointed his wand at the machine. "Sensus humanicus." He suppressed a shiver, noticing that it was getting colder by the minute. "Severus, please go and tell the people to hide in their houses and shops, because the Dementors are approaching the town," he instructed his friend. "This is a vacuum cleaner, which simulates human sense in order to fool the Dementors. And when they come near it, they'll be sucked in, provided that it works."
While Severus dashed away, Harry transfigured five more chocolate frogs into the same kind of machines, putting his spell on them just in time for the first Dementors to arrive. 'This just has to work,' he thought, carefully looking around. 'If not, I'll just have to chase them away with my Patronus, and we'll have to think about a solution for the next time.'
"Is everything all right, Harry? Do you think it's going to work?" Severus asked quietly, as he returned to Harry's side.
"I really don't know, but you should transform into your snake form. Animals aren't affected by the Dementors as much as humans. I'm also going to change, as soon as I see that it works and I won't have to cast my Patronus," Harry replied, watching the Dementors' every move.
Severus obliged and immediately transformed. The Dementors headed into Harry's direction, but fortunately the machines worked, already sucking in the first of them.
Feeling utterly relieved, Harry hissed to Severus in Parseltongue, "Severusss, it worksss. Look, it suckss them in."
The snake cast him a menacing glare. "Why are you able to talk to me? And shouldn't you transform as well?"
Harry felt the coldness take over and his mind slowly slipping away. He quickly changed into Icicle, noticing that he felt better immediately. 'How am I supposed to communicate with Severus in this form?' he mused, trying to speak in Phoenix tongue first.
#Severus, can you hear me?#
Severus was observing the Dementors being sucked into the machines but did not reply. 'Apparently, he doesn't understand me,' Harry realised. 'Well, we can think about that later.'
In the meantime, almost all the Dementors had been sucked into the machines. As soon as the last of them vanished, Harry transformed back into his human form, transfigured each of the machines into dragon dung, and scourgified the entire dragon dung.
"All right, they're gone, but I think we need to eat some chocolate," he told Severus, who had changed back in the meantime.
"Harry, you were not supposed to be here, were you?" Severus said with a slightly amused expression on his face. "You'll be in so much trouble tomorrow morning, when two certain ladies get a glance at the front page of the Daily Prophet."
Harry, who was already feeling queasy, turned white. "And why is that? Don't tell me anyone took photographs," he replied, groaning in annoyance.
"They did. Lots of photographs, and since everyone knows you by now, because you saved the village before and vanquished the Dark Lord, you won't be able to deny that you were here," Severus said, calmingly. "Let's hurry back, Harry. Maybe you could flash us back into Dumbledore's office; he'll certainly be able to provide us with some chocolate."
'That's true,' Harry silently agreed and obediently transformed into Icicle.
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In a splash of ice, they arrived back in the headmaster's office. Seeing in relief that Dumbledore was alone, Harry transformed back into his human form, before he tiredly plopped into a seat. Severus followed his example.
"Sorry Professor for just flashing into your office," Severus apologized politely, causing the headmaster to look at the boys in concern.
"Although usually I'd not approve it, as I might have guests, today it's not a problem, my boy. I'm glad that you're back without anyone noticing your absence. Is everything all right?" he asked, turning his eyes to Harry.
"Professor, we need some chocolate please. There were Dementors at Hogsmeade," Severus explained shortly.
"Twinkle!" Dumbledore called his house-elf, who appeared in the blink of an eye. "Please bring two cups of hot cocoa and two large pieces of chocolate for the boys."
Within seconds, two cups and several huge pieces of chocolate arrived in front of the friends on the table, and Severus and Harry began to gratefully tuck in, sighing in relief as pleasant warmth began to spread through their bodies.
Harry cast his great grandfather a weak smile. "I didn't even think about the fact that the Dementors weren't gone yet, and of course, lucky as I am, they decided to pay Hogsmeade a visit, just when we were there."
Seeing that his great grandfather seemed to be waiting for an explanation and was listening intensely, he continued, "At first, I thought I could just chase them away as usual, but then I knew they'd only come back a few days later, because they had to be hungry and nobody was controlling them."
"I believe that should be correct," Dumbledore agreed, nodding pensively. "What did you do to them? You seem to be more affected than the last time, and you even more than Severus, Harry."
Severus explained about Harry's gigantic vacuum cleaners, before he admitted, "I suppose that you'll be able to see a picture of the scene on the front page of the Daily Prophet tomorrow morning."
The twinkle in the headmaster's eyes vanished, as his expression turned stern. "Very well. That means that we'll all be in big trouble tomorrow when your great grandmother gets to know of your Hogsmeade visit."
"It's not my fault that I wasn't allowed to go and buy my Christmas presents before," Harry replied in a very upset voice, glaring at his great grandfather.
Severus sneered. "No Professor, we won't be in trouble tomorrow; we'll be in trouble at lunch, as soon as they see Harry, won't we? Look at him, Professor."
Harry's face was white as a sheet, only his cheeks were deeply flushed, and dark rings were surrounding his eyes. Feeling absolutely awful, he objected, "No, Severus, you won't, because I'm going to skip lunch. I'll go and take a nap. You can tell the dragon that I'm going to get my nutrient potion before curfew."
In a splash of ice, Harry flashed away, leaving Dumbledore and Severus to exchange an exasperated look.
"Oh Severus, how does he manage to always get himself into so much trouble?" Dumbledore asked, sighing as he leaned back in his chair, slowly popping a lemon drop into his mouth.
Severus smirked. "That's something I'd really like to know. I always wondered about that since I first met him."
"Now my boy, what do you think, shall we go to the lion's den, or shall we have lunch here in my office today?"
Severus looked hopefully at the headmaster. "Would that be possible, sir? I'm not too enthusiastic to meeting your wife right now, considering that Harry won't be there."
Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "Let's have lunch here. They'll be angry anyway, so we can at least eat our lunch in peace."
A few minutes later, they had just begun to eat when McGonagall entered the office, her already stern expression turning into an angry frown as she took in the scene of teacher and student having lunch in the office.
"Albus, when there are only ten people for lunch, don't you think everyone will notice when three of them are missing?" she asked sharply, glaring at her husband.
"I'm sorry, Minerva," the headmaster apologized calmly. "I just had something to discuss with Severus in private, and I thought this might be a good timing."
"And where might I find Harry please?" McGonagall asked sharply, looking from Dumbledore to Severus.
Severus shrugged. "When I met him a few minutes ago, he told me that he wanted to put his things back into his dormitory before lunch. Maybe he fell asleep?" he quickly lied.
"Ah, but why don't you at least have lunch first, Minerva? Harry will be all right; I'm sure he is somewhere in the castle," Dumbledore added, knowing only too well that his wife wouldn't give up before he had found the child.
"Don't give me that, Albus. You know exactly that Harry isn't supposed to miss meals."
"Oh oh, she's getting upset. Poor Harry," Severus commented as soon as the professor had left the office.
A short while later, McGonagall returned, looking extremely angry. "Could one of you please be so kind and explain what happened?"
Dumbledore and Severus looked up from their meal in surprise, wearing extremely innocent expressions.
"Harry is sitting on his bed in his phoenix form, fast asleep with his head turned backwards, and huddled under a mountain of blankets. What happened, and what's wrong with him?" McGonagall asked in a voice, which normally was reserved for students coming to serve detention.
The two culprits frowned, glancing helplessly at each other. "Ah, he will be all right, Minerva, go and have lunch, my dear," the headmaster inefficiently tried to calm his wife.
"Albus, I want to know what is wrong," McGonagall reprimanded him sternly. "Severus, have you been together with Harry this morning?"
"Yes Professor."
"And what have you been doing?"
"Minerva, dear," Dumbledore interrupted her, "don't make yourself so upset. Everything is fine, believe me."
"Then why can't Severus tell me what they have been doing this morning, and why is your great grandson skipping lunch again in spite of our instructions?" The deputy professor's voice began to get louder.
Dumbledore let out a sigh of defeat. "You know, Minerva; last Saturday we had the last Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas, didn't we? But I was afraid to let Harry go, so that he had to spent the day here."
"And?" his wife asked impatiently, glaring at her husband.
"Harry had to go and buy his Christmas presents," the headmaster continued in a calm voice.
"And you let him go without Poppy's consent? Albus, you're extremely irresponsible," McGonagall chided him in disapproval. "But that still doesn't explain what's wrong with him."
"Minerva, I did not let him go," Dumbledore objected, slightly offended. "I told him that he was probably not allowed to go, but he should ask you or Poppy. But he insisted that he wasn't going to ask but would flash there and come back immediately. Therefore, I only allowed Severus to go to Hogsmeade, but not Harry. And when they were in Hogsmeade, the Dementors showed up again, so Harry vanquished them forever." He told her the whole story, noticing in relief that her features slightly softened.
Then Severus added, "And finally he transfigured the vacuum cleaners into dragon dung and scourgified it." Severus and Albus chuckled.
Even McGonagall could not prevent herself from smiling in spite of still being extremely upset. "So what's wrong with Harry?" she asked in concern. "Was he affected by the Dementors, or did he use too much magic again?"
"He was affected by the Dementors," Severus explained in a soft voice.
"And none of you thought about taking him to the hospital wing?" McGonagall asked angrily.
"He just flashed away, Minerva, what could we have done?" Dumbledore countered helplessly. "I thought we could just let him go and check on him later."
"I'd have thought at least you would be more responsible, Severus," McGonagall replied, disappointment clearly written on her face.
"I'm sorry, Professor, but I believe that Harry is on the verge of having nightmares about the hospital wing, so I agreed to just let him rest now. Please don't be angry, Mam; Harry is so happy here and just wants to enjoy his time here now."
"But nevertheless, he can't do what he wants even without permission," the Gryffindor head objected sternly. "Severus, you will be grounded for the rest of the day for going with Harry although he was not allowed to go. Please stay in the dormitory with Harry. I'll send up Poppy for Harry later, and I shall instruct a house-elf to bring dinner for you. And Albus, you won't get any more lemon drops until Christmas," she added, completely ignoring the disappointed expression spreading on her husband's face at her announcement. "Regarding Harry's punishment I will come to your dormitory and have a word with him tonight," she threatened with a particularly angry look on her face.
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On Christmas morning, Harry woke up very early. He transformed into Icicle and enjoyed an early morning flight over the grounds that were covered with snow and looked marvellous. 'Such a pity that I'm grounded until the end of the holidays,' he thought, sadly. 'It would be so much fun to have a huge snowball fight with all students and teachers who are here over the holidays.'
Harry flashed back into the dormitory several times to see if Severus was awake, and finally his friend stirred.
"Good morning, Sev, and Happy Christmas," Harry greeted him, happily.
Severus tiredly smiled back. "Merry Christmas to you too, Harry. Did you already open your presents?"
"No, I was waiting for you to wake up, and in the meanwhile, I transformed and went for a small flight. No one will be able to notice me against the snow," he chuckled.
"Oh Harry stop it, don't get yourself in even more trouble," Severus groaned in utter annoyance. "Shall we open our presents?"
It was Harry's first Christmas since he had entered Hogwarts with eleven without receiving a Weasley sweater, but probably the second Christmas in his life with a present from his mother. Lily had sent him a broom polishing kit. 'Just like Hermione,' he thought happily. In James' package, he found a book on famous wizards; Sirius had sent him a Defence book and Remus a large package of assorted chocolates from Honeydukes. From Severus, he received a Potions book, and from his great grandparents a Pensieve, a very nice robe and a really warm, fluffy coat, each in a very pretty green that matched his eyes. Poppy gave him a book about Healing for beginners.
Finally, there was only an envelope left. 'What might that be?' Harry wondered. Carefully opening the envelope, he saw a card with just one sentence on it, stating, 'You are not grounded on Christmas day. Enjoy yourself and stay out of trouble. Granny.'
"YEEEAAAHH!" Harry cheered.
Severus eyed him in clear surprise. "Harry? Are you all right?" he queried in apparent concern.
"Yes Sev, I'm not grounded today, so that we can have a proper snowball fight. That's so cool." He showed Severus the card from his head of house.
Severus chuckled. It was good to see his best friend so happy. "Anyway, we have to go and attend breakfast in three minutes; otherwise you'll be grounded again," he sneered, hurriedly putting his robes on.
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At breakfast, Harry turned to his great grandmother. "Granny, I challenge you to a snowball fight after breakfast."
McGonagall laughed. "Very well, Harry, but let me warn you, I'm better at snowball fights than you might think."
Harry smiled. "Who else is coming? Grandfather? Severus? Madam Pomfrey? Susan? Jack?" he invited everyone else.
Finally, everyone headed outside for a huge snowball fight on the grounds, which looked beautiful in the sunshine.
Harry stepped over to his friend and whispered, "Severus, we have to decide on a tactic. We should play together and always attack a group of two or three of them at the same time."
Severus nodded, reluctantly. "If I must play at all, then you have to tell me what to do."
In the end, the two friends were fighting against Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. Professor Dumbledore had been overwhelmed by the two Slytherin fifth years, who had concentrated on attacking the headmaster.
Harry whispered to Severus with a mischievous expression on his face, "Wait a moment, stay far away from them and watch!" He suddenly transformed into Icicle, so that he could barely be seen on the snowy ground, flew over just in front of the two women, and flashed back to Severus, leaving the two witches in a huge splash of ice. Everyone except for the two women nearly fell into the snow laughing.
"And the winners are," Dumbledore announced, pleasantly, "Severus Snape and Harry Pane. Congratulations my boys. Thanks everyone for a very nice game, and now let's head into the Great Hall and have a hot cup of cocoa before lunch."
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Harry and Severus spent the rest of the day reading their new books in the Gryffindor common room, tired from the snowball fight and from eating too much of the delicious main courses and desserts, which the house-elves had prepared for Christmas dinner. Harry had enjoyed the day very much and felt extremely grateful towards his great grandmother for allowing him to participate in the snowball fight that had been so much fun.
It was nearly curfew when Severus noticed that something was wrong with Harry. He unobtrusively cast a curious look in his friend's direction, noticing that he seemed to be on the verge of crying.
"Harry, what's wrong?" he asked in concern.
"Nothing, Severus, I'm fine," Harry replied, giving his friend a small fake smile, which did not reach his eyes.
tbc...
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