Taking Chances and Making Changes
Disclaimer – I do not own anything from Harry Potter. That honour goes to JK Rowling. I only own the ideas and any OC's. Anything you recognise does not belong to me.
Hayley (POV)
Given that I had more of an idea of what I was supposed to be like in this version of my life I felt somewhat comfortable leaving my dorm room and wandering around. My curiosity for how different things were had gotten the better of me. I needed to know how all my other friends had turned out in this alternate reality. While walking around the castle it felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. The few students that I passed seemed to do their best to not only avoid me but also avoid even looking in my direction. It felt like just because this version of me was a Slytherin half the school hated her and according to the journal she didn't have any friends even within Slytherin House.
After some time of walking around I headed to the library to try and find some more information on Dream potions to try and get an idea of how long I might be stuck in my nightmare.
After searching through the library and finding nothing that I didn't already know about the potion I left and on the way out I could see from where I was stood by the door a group of 7th year Slytherins harassing Neville who in this reality was Hufflepuff rather than Gryffindor. I walked over as one of them pushed him to the ground and clenched my fist angrily.
"Hey back off" I say standing in front of them
"Ooh look boys Potter's grown a back bone" One of the boys jokes
"You really ought to shut your mouth before I shut it for you" I said narrowing my eyes into a glare as if daring them
"Why do you even care about Longbottom anyway? He's a loser" The other boy says
"If anyone's a loser here it's you guys. Now I've got years of pent up anger and resentment and I'm just looking for someone to take it out on. So either stay and I make you two regret ever being born or you can leave and live to be assholes another day" I said casually as I took a step forward towards them.
The two of them glanced at each other and quickly made the decision that leaving was the best idea and made a hasty exit towards the Slytherin common room.
Sighing and rolling my eyes I muttered some fairly unpleasant names under my breath before turning around facing Neville. "Hey are you okay?"
Neville looked at me with a combination of confusion of apprehension" Y-yeah I'm okay thanks"
"You sure about that. I can practically see the questions in your head" I say with a small smile hoping to ease his nerves
"I just don't know why you helped me. I mean we're not friends, we've hardly even spoken in the past 5 years." He says standing up from the floor.
I sighed. "I know and I'm sorry. I didn't exactly want to shut everyone out. I didn't really have an easy time growing up. I wasn't liked or wanted and after a while that treatment made me cold. I believed that if I didn't let people in then they couldn't let me down later on"
The two of us walked around the castle for some time eventually ending up at the Astronomy tower sitting down by the edge. On the walk I had told him the truth about this version of reality and he seemed to believe me.
"So you're stuck here until you wake up in the real world?" He clarifies
"Pretty much" I say rolling my eyes in annoyance
"Can I ask you something?" He asks looking at me
"Go ahead"
"Why is this your worst nightmare? I mean sure having no friends and being in Slytherin must suck but it seems like there's other reasons why the potion made this as your worst nightmare" He prompts
I hesitate slightly. "The truth is that in reality I was a lot luckier. I didn't have it great but it wasn't as bad as here. I was determined that I wouldn't let my upbringing make me bitter. It was tough at times but I did it. When I started Hogwarts it became easier. I was away from my relatives for most of the year and my friends were there for me. As I got older and I learnt more about Voldemort and his obsession with me and most recently this connection that we seem to share its gotten harder again"
"How come?" Neville asks
"I've slowly been pushing my friends away for a while because I put people in danger and I don't want anything to happen to them. I don't know what I would do with myself if one of them got hurt or worse because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time" I sighed as I laid back on the floor
"I understand that but have you tried talking to them? If they completely know the risks and are okay with it then you might have to try and accept that they're going to stand by your side no matter what. Maybe you also need to try and get better at relying on your friends more. If they are truly your friends then they should have no problem being there for you in the same way you've been there for them" He says
"I suppose your right Neville" I say reluctantly
I closed my eyes and took some time to relax. While relaxing I felt myself start to wake up. It started with hearing voices from the real world. Eventually I fully started to feel myself wake up. I groaned slightly as I started to force my eyes open and heard footsteps come over to where I was.
"Miss Potter, how are you feeling?" Madame Pomfrey asked as she came over
I started to sit up a bit with Madam Pomfrey's help. "Okay. A little bit confused and a pounding headache but apart from that I feel fine"
"Okay that's good. You came into contact with some dream potion that was incorrectly made after it exploded. You then stumbled backwards and hit your head on the wall" She explains before she goes to get a headache potion to help with the pain
"Did the potion affect anyone else or was it just me?" I asked, grabbing my glasses from the bedside table and then drinking the potion after she handed it to me.
"It was just you. No one else came into contact" She confirms
I stretched my arms slightly as they felt very stiff. "Okay that's good. I was worried that Susan might have been hit by it. So when am I able to leave?"
"Soon. You've been unconscious for a little over 3 days so I just want to make sure you are fully healed. Professor Dumbledore would also like to see you once you leave"
It was a few hours later and Madame Pomfrey finally let me leave albeit slightly reluctantly. She wanted to keep me longer to make sure I was okay but after my constant nagging she relented and allowed me to go, providing I go straight there if I started feeling unwell. It was a Thursday and thankfully everyone was still in classes so I was able to walk around a little bit in peace. I decided to go to the dorms to shower and change clothes before heading to see Dumbledore. Approximately an hour after leaving the hospital wing I headed up to Dumbledore's office.
I had a feeling he would want to talk to me about what happened in my nightmare reality and try to get me to open up. I would tell him a few things but there was no way in hell was I completely opening up to him. I didn't trust him anywhere near that much. He was making an attempt at reconnecting and trying to rebuild trust and I appreciated it but I knew his end goal was to get me to put my complete and blind faith into him and his decisions and I wasn't going to accept that. I sighed as I arrived at the staircase of his office and used the password that Madame Pomfrey gave me before heading up and knocking on the door to his office.
"Come in" I heard him say
I went inside and took a seat when I was gestured to do so." Madame Pomfrey said that you wanted to see me sir?"
"Miss Potter I'm glad to see you up and about. I wanted to check in with you. Experiencing the effects of a messed up dream potion can be awful" He said
"I appreciate your concern sir but I'm okay" I said
"I understand that you don't hold the same amount of trust for me as you once did but I want you to know that you can confide in me. The same goes for the other teachers too. We all care for you and want to make sure your okay" He says
I sighed as I looked at him. "Like I said sir I appreciate that you and the other teachers are concerned and I understand that you are trying to rebuild trust between the two of us but I'm still not ready to confide in you about how I'm coping. I still don't feel I can trust you enough"
He nods. "I understand Miss Potter. You don't have to talk to me or the other teachers if you don't want to but I do think you should talk to someone even if it's your friends. Bottling up emotions is never a good thing"
I left shortly after and went to the kitchens to get something to eat before heading back up to the dorm to relax for a bit before classes were due to end and I would get bombarded with questions. When Hermione came back up to the dorms I looked over at her from where I was sitting on my bed reading.
"Hey Hermione" I said
"Hayley. What are you doing out of the hospital wing? When did you wake up?" She asked coming over and pulling me into a hug
I smiled as I eventually pulled back from the hug. "I woke up late this morning. Madame Pomfrey kept me in for a few hours until she was sure I was okay so I got out an hour or so after lunch"
"Well how are you feeling?" She asked
"Strange. I mean what I saw was definitely upsetting but i'm not feeling too bad" I say shrugging
She nods. " If you want to talk about it, I'm here for you. Same goes for Ron and Neville. I know we've offered it in the past and you've never accepted it but we really are here for you. You don't have to keep everything to yourself for fear of burdening us"
The two of us headed downstairs to the common room where the boys were so we could all talk about things together and because it was quite busy in the common room we headed to the Astronomy Tower where we would have more privacy. I told them about what I had gone through and confided in them about why that was what I feared most. We talked for a while with the three of them mostly listening and offering moral support. I did have to admit that I felt better afterward and it was nice to have gotten some things off my chest. I kept some things to myself and didn't tell them about what was going on during the detentions with Umbridge. I couldn't let anyone find out because if they did it would just cause problems.
General (POV)
Over the new month as the students of Hogwarts were getting ready for Christmas and enjoying the consistent snowy weather that December brought with it, a small group of people were sat scheming coming up with a plan to take down Hayley Potter with relative ease and without a way for it to be traced back to them. The three death eaters that had tried and failed to kidnap Hayley during the summer before her 4th year had been humiliated amongst the other death eaters in their ranks and had suffered under the cruciatus curse for their failings several times once Voldemort returned and learned of their failed plans. The three of them hadn't been very highly ranked and they hoped that if this plan was successful they would be rewarded and would be promoted to a higher rank. They were also furious and felt that their failings were Hayley's fault so they were also out for revenge.
They had planned to place a poison into something that she would eat or drink and let it run its course. The victim of the poison would begin to feel the effects fairly quickly after consuming it, usually only an hour or two depending on how much was consumed. They would develop a high fever and would feel very weak and would soon lose consciousness. They would then remain unconscious for several days as their condition worsened until they eventually died usually about 3-5 days later once again depending on how much poison they had consumed. The poison had been used a lot by Voldemort's followers throughout the late 70's and in the latter half of the First Wizarding War because as far as most people were concerned it was incurable.
This wasn't entirely true as there was an antidote to the poison but only Voldemort and the most trusted of his inner circle knew what it was. They placed the poison into some chocolates and sent it by an owl as a present over Christmas to make it seem less suspicious. Once it was sent all they could do was sit back and wait for the news of the Chosen One's demise.
Hayley (POV)
December soon came and it was nearing the day when school would finish for Christmas break, Classes had finished yesterday on Friday the 15th and the Hogwarts Express would be taking everyone who was going home on Monday the 18th. It would then return to Hogwarts on the 1st of the 2nd of January with classes resuming on the 3rd. I was mostly packed up with the exception of a few things that I would need for the next few days as I had packed that morning after having a lie in.
I spent some time outside with everyone enjoying the snow before we went inside to warm up and have some lunch. It was during lunch that the owls arrived with post. I hadn't been expecting anything so I was confused when an owl dropped off a small package. I frowned slightly as I looked at the label and confirmed it was definitely sent to me. I unwrapped it and saw that it was a box of chocolates. There was a note wishing me a Merry Christmas but it didn't say who it was from.
Neville caught my look of confusion and looked over. "Everything okay Hayley?"
"Yeah fine. It's just this present. It's definitely for me but it doesn't say who it's from "I explained
"That's strange. Maybe they just forgot to write their name, I've done that once or twice before. They might have sent a letter that hasn't arrived yet "He says
"Maybe "I said nodding as I opened the box of chocolates. I was disappointed as I saw them because they were all made of dark chocolate and I could smell cherries so I assumed it had a cherry filling or flavouring. "Well that's disappointing"
"What's disappointing?" Hermione asked
"These chocolates. They're dark chocolate and they smell like cherries. I'm not the biggest fan of either of those things on their own but when there together I cannot stand it. But I would hate for them to go to waste" I explained
"If you don't want them. I'll have them. I love dark chocolate. "Ron says from where he sat next to Neville
I nodded as I put the lid back on the box and passed them over to him. "That's fine. Enjoy"
Once we had finished lunch we all headed back to the common room to go to our dorms. Hermione and I had both finished packing and Neville had started some of his but Ron hadn't started at all but he had decided to leave it until tomorrow. That evening I had gone to my private lessons with Snape which would be my final lesson until January. It was nearing the end of it when there was a knock at the door.
Professor Snape went to answer it and I couldn't hear exactly what it was about but the voices seemed panicked and rushed. Snape came back inside a few minutes later and began rushing around grabbing various items from his cupboards and drawers before he turned and looked at me,
"Miss Potter we are going to have to end this lesson early unfortunately. Madame Pomfrey needs my assistance in the Hospital Wing. A student has become very suddenly ill and she is unsure what has caused it" He explains
I nodded. "That's fine, I understand. Can you tell me who is ill?"
He sighs looking at me. "Ronald Weasley"
I was immediately worried and quickly packed up my things into my bag and followed Snape out of his office and up to the Hospital Wing. We soon arrived and I could see Madame Pomfrey stood at a bed in the corner where Ron was laying. Even from this distance he looked extremely pale and didn't seem to be moving. Professor Snape hurried over and began talking to Madam Pomfrey. I headed over but before I could get there Professor McGonagall came out of the side room that was connected to the Hospital Wing and gestured for me to go inside. When I went inside I could see that Hermione and Neville were already there as was Ginny along with Fred and George.
I looked up at McGonagall worried. "Professor what's happened to Ron?"
She sighed as she looked at them all. "We're not entirely sure but we believe that Mr Weasley may have been poisoned. Professor Snape and Madame Pomfrey are working to try and confirm whether it is poison or not and if so what poison it was"
"Who would want to poison Ron?" Hermione asked
"If it is confirmed to be poison we will inform the aurors who will begin an investigation "She explains
"Not to mention, how did he ingest it? The chances of it being the food here is unlikely "Fred questions
I frowned slightly as I began to think about things. "Professor if it is poison I might have an idea as to how he ingested it. I got sent a box of chocolates in the post today and because it's Christmas we didn't really think it was anything too suspicious. I didn't like the type of chocolate so I gave them to Ron. What if the poison was in the chocolates?"
Professor McGonagall nodded worriedly as she listened. "It is possible, Do you know who sent them?"
I shook my head. "No there was no label "I sighed
She nodded and then had Neville go back to their dorm room and bring the box chocolates so Professor Snape could test the chocolates to determine if they were indeed poison,
It was a few hours later and Hermione , Neville and I had stayed in the office while Ginny and the twins had gone to sit with Ron . Mr and Mrs Weasley had also been informed and had arrived shortly after and were sitting with them. Professor McGonagall came to get us from the office as they had some news for us all.
Professor Snape looked at us and sighed. "I have confirmed that the chocolates were indeed poisoned and I have been able to determine exactly what poison was used"
"Well that's good isn't it. If you know what poison it is, surely that means an antidote can be made right?"Ginny asks
He shakes his head. "Not exactly. There isn't a known antidote to every type of poison that is out there. This one does however we aren't able to make it"
"Why can't you make it? You're a potions master. If there's an antidote surely you should be able to make it "I asked
"I can't make it because the antidote has been kept very secret and is only known to a few select people. That being The Dark Lord and the most trusted members of his inner circle "He explains
"Why does he know the antidote? Did he create it? Hermione asked
Snape shook his head and began to explain who had created the potion and how it fell into Voldemort's hands. "In 1975 a 6th year Ravenclaw student by the name of Alexander Dresden accidentally created the poison while experimenting. He was a natural at Potions and excelled in the subject. Once he realised what he had made he sought to make an antidote. Which he successfully managed about a month later. He had all intentions of patenting it and selling it to Wizarding Hospitals as a potion to assist elderly witches and wizards or people with severe brain injuries to pass peacefully because apart from the initial symptoms of fever and fatigue it is relatively painless"
"How do you know all of this Professor? "Neville asked
"Mr Dresden was in the year above me at Hogwarts and although we weren't close friends we had a mutual love of potions and he told me about his plans for it Unfortunately he never got the chance. In December 1975 a group of 7th year Slytherins who were believed to be new recruits for the Death Eaters heard rumours about the potion and came up with a plan to get Mr Dresden to reveal the truth. They knew he would recognise the signs and be able to fight off of an Imperious Curse or Veritiserum so they got him drunk and got him talking that way, He revealed the truth about the poison and the antidote and then killed him They took all the notes he had made about it and left with them never returning to Hogwarts. From then on only Voldemort and those he trusted the most knew how to make the poison and the antidote. It became widely used during the later year of the First Wizarding War "He explained
Everyone sat in silence as they processed the information until I spoke up. "So if we can't make an antidote what happens to Ron. What do we do now?"
"Well Miss Potter that's the thing. Unfortunately there isn't anything we can do. The only way for Mr Weasley to get better is with the antidote. And we don't have a way of making it without the recipe" Madame Pomfrey says
"So we just let Ron die? We can't just sit here and do nothing "I say, getting angry as I looked at the sorrow and regret on their faces.
I shook my head as I glanced at Ron and the rest of the Weasleys. "No, I won't allow this. There must be something we can do. I'm going to fix this" I said determined as I ran out of the Hospital Wing.
I went straight to the library and looked through every book on poisons and antidotes that I could find before it closed and Madam Pince made me leave. I hadn't found anything by that time but I was determined to keep going. I went back to my room and looked through the books that Lucius had gotten me to see if there was anything at all that could help. After a few hours Hermione came back and eventually managed to persuade me to at least take a break and try and rest for a few hours.
I couldn't sleep so I just laid there for several hours while everyone else fell asleep. It was around 2 or 3 in the morning I decided to sneak into the restricted section of the library and see if there was anything in there that might be of use. I grabbed my cloak from my trunk and put it on as I cast Lumos underneath the cloak so I could see where I was going. I knew that if any of the other staff members caught me I wouldn't be in trouble because I was a prefect and as such had permission to be out of bed after curfew however I knew if Filch or Umbridge caught me they wouldn't care if I was a prefect or not and would take the opportunity to give me detention especially Umbridge.
I used the cloak to sneak into the library and into the restricted section. I took off my cloak and began searching for books relating to advanced potions, specifically poisons and antidotes. I spent an hour or two reading through things I thought might be useful but by the time I started to get tired I hadn't found anything that seemed like it might actually work. I sighed and put the books back where they came from before I put the cloak back on and left the library. I left and went back to my dorm. I laid down and eventually managed to sleep for a few hours until morning came.
I woke up early as I wasn't able to sleep for too long because of everything going on that I couldn't stop thinking about. I changed and went for some breakfast. I was one of the first and only ate a few pieces of toast before going back to the library. Despite spending a few hours searching yesterday and finding nothing useful, I was determined to find a solution. I couldn't accept the alternative.
I sat at the back of the library for several hours before Hermione and Neville came over and sat next to me.
"Hey guys "I said not really looking up as I was focused on searching through the books
"Hayley we get that you're worried about Ron but you heard what Professor Snape said. Without the antidote there's nothing we can do "Hermione says sighing
"I can't accept that Hermione. I know that there is something that we can do and I'm not going to stop until I find it "I say
"Hayley, this isn't healthy. You can't spend all day and night searching for something that might not even exist. You need to eat and sleep "Neville says
"I did get some sleep and I had some breakfast this morning "I said sighing
They eventually left after it became apparent that I wasn't going to leave. Several of my other friends also came by to talk to me throughout the day to try and convince me to take a break, none of whom were successful.
It was within the last hour before the library closed and I was one of the few students still in there with the exception of a few 7th years when I heard someone sit next to me and close the book that I was looking at, making me look up at them annoyed.
"Iyona what was that for?" I asked trying to take the book back
"I know what you're doing Hayley". She says giving me a pointed look moving the book away from me
"I hardly doubt that "I say sighing
"You're afraid to lose someone else you care about so instead of accepting the inevitable you're desperately looking for a solution that doesn't exist "She says
"What are you saying? That I should just give up like everyone else has? Surely you can see why I can't do that Iyona. Me and Ron might have had our issues in the past but he's still one of my best friends. I can't just let him die. There has to be something I can do" I say
She sighs. "I'm saying you should maybe try and accept what you know deep down is going to happen. As much as it hurts you can't turn back time and change the past"
She soon gets up and leaves me alone as I think things over. I leave the library just before it closes and before heading back to my dorm I go up to the Hospital Wing and stand outside looking inside from the open door. I catch a glimpse of Molly and Arthur sitting by Ron's bedside along with the rest of the Weasley Family. I looked down as I turned around and left walking back to my dorm. The real reason that I was so determined to find a solution was because I felt responsible for what happened. The poison had been meant for me but because I let my guard down in regards to who had sent the chocolates Ron had been poisoned instead.
I spent a few hours in my dorm thinking and instead of going to dinner with everyone else I went down to the kitchens and ate in there instead. I went up to the Astronomy Tower watching the stars and thinking for a few hours before I went to my dorm about an hour after curfew as I had started to get kind of tired and figured it was best I got some sleep. I slept for a few hours although it was quite restless. When I woke up and checked the time I saw it was about 2 am and I sighed as I tried to get back to sleep but knew it would be useless, I went down to the common room so I didn't wake anyone up and sat in front of the fire in silence.
I frowned as I thought back on what Iyona had said about not being able to turn back time and change the past and found myself smiling as I thought back to third year and using the Time Turner. I sat there as I suddenly had a crazy idea. I quickly got up and ran up to my dorm quietly grabbing my cloak and my wand and went back to the restricted section of the library. Rather than looking for another antidote to the poison, I looked for methods of time travel other than using a time turner. I looked through books for several hours before I finally came across something that might work.
It was an old spell that would allow the user to travel back to whenever they wished so long as they were thinking about it. The issue was that it was a very difficult spell to cast not so much skill wise, more so that it required a high level of raw magical power depending on how far back or forward in time the caster intended to go. I put the rest of the books back on the shelves before putting the cloak back over myself holding the book close. I got back up to the dorm and gently woke up Hermione as I shook her shoulder.
"Hayley what is it it's the middle of the night "She says quietly grumbling
"I found a way to save Ron "I said
She frowned as she quickly sat up looking at me. "What? How?!"
"I'll tell you in the common room. I need to wake Neville up "I said as I grabbed the communication ring and used it to wake Neville up telling him to come down to the common room.
Once they had both come down they sat looking at me tiredly. "What's going on Hayley" Neville asked me
"I realised that I was looking at this all wrong. I was looking for an alternative antidote to the poison when I should have been looking for a way we can get the antidote" I said
"Please don't tell me you've come up with some crazy idea to try and get the antidote from the Death Eaters "Hermione says
"Of course not. "I said. "I've come up with a crazy idea to go back to 1975 and get a copy of the recipe for the antidote before the Death Eaters steal it"
"Is that even possible? I thought Time Turners were the only way to go back in time?"Neville asked
"They are and you can only go back like 5 hours at the most. Certainly not 20 years "Hermione says
"That's why we wouldn't be using a Time Turner. I was looking through the restricted section and I found this spell that allows the caster to go as far forward or back in time as they want so long as you're thinking of it enough" I said as I showed them the book
They looked through the book before looking at me unsure. Hayley this spell sounds really difficult. How are you sure that you would be able to cast it?" Neville asked concerned
"I'm not completely sure but this is the only way and I have to at least try it "I said determined
"Well in that case let's do it "Hermione said
"Wait What do you mean? "I asked confused
"Isn't it obvious? Were coming with you "Neville says
"No way. There is no way I am letting you two come along. This spell is way too risky "I said shaking my head
"Ron is our friend too, Hayley. If your putting your life at risk to try and save him then so are we "Hermione says
"Hermione's right. Were in this together "Neville says
I sigh seeing the determined looks on their faces and nod."Okay. As long as you're both sure"
Given that all three of us were due to be leaving in a few hours we decided that it couldn't wait any longer. The three of us got dressed and grabbed the basics we might need and put them into a bag that Hermione put some extension and featherweight charms on so we could fit everything into one bag. I then read over the spell several more times making sure I was as confident as I could be before we left heading to somewhere we knew we would be quiet and empty. We decided on one of the unused classrooms on the seventh floor as it limited how far we had to go, which was good as the last thing we wanted was to get caught by any teachers that might be up at this hour.
We went inside and locked the door before clearing a space in the middle of the room. I grabbed hold of my wand reading over the spell one final time as I closed my eyes and took a breath clearing my mind so I could focus and concentrate properly. Hermione and Neville stood behind me placing their hands firmly on one of my shoulders so that the spell would work on all three of us.
"Audi haec verba. Audi rithimum. Spem in animo attendite. Remitte nos quo inveniam. Quod opto loco et tempore"I repeated several times as I performed the correct wand movement for the spell for each time I said the spell.
As I said the spell I could feel heavy wind begin to pick up around us getting faster and stronger each time I said the spell until it was eventually like a tornado. I could feel Hermione and Neville tighten their grip on my shoulders as it got stronger and suddenly a bright light burst forth from the tip of my wand engulfing the three of us until everything suddenly went black.
Author's Note - Hey Guys. Sorry for the prolonged absence. I have been extremely busy with both work and with a lot going on in my personal life so I haven't had much time to sit down and write . Plus I have had major writer's block which led me to include this idea earlier than I had originally planned. Speaking of the idea, I hope you like it and I can't wait for you to read the next chapter. I cannot say for certain when that will be but I hope that it won't be too long.