A Second Chance
It was the Light's last chance at winning the war and Minerva McGonagall was going to take it. In exchange for her life, Harry Potter was to be sent back to the past to change everything. Enemies beware, because Harry James Potter has a vendetta. SSHPLM
Main Relationship Focus: Harry Potter/Severus Snape/Lucius Malfoy
Genres: Action & Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance and Suspense
Rating: M; for violence, sex and language
Length: Epic
Warning: Slash, threesomes.
Disclaimers: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Warner Bros, Bloomsbury. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: Timetravel! Dedicated to my reviewers, as usual.
Beta: Amber
V: Finding Remus
The doorbell rang and Remus looked up in surprise but trudged to the door to open it. A handsome young man with familiar green eyes and messy brown hair greeted his vision.
"Hello, Remus Lupin?"
It was there and then when the werewolf realised that the person before him was a wizard but he didn't recognize him, Remus would if he had met him before; those eyes were memorable. The amber-eyed man hesitated before answering with a nod. The young man smiled genially and then introduced himself.
"I'm Kyle Peverell, pleased to meet you. If you would, I would like to continue the conversation somewhere else more private and secure."
Remus was currently living in a Muggle establishment and had been doing so since that night. Something about this man's scent screamed familiarity but the werewolf couldn't remember meeting him before. He frowned slightly but nodded. The other man retrieved a small paper clip from his pocket and handed it to Remus on an outstretched palm. The man warily touched it; he couldn't help it, even the wolf in him was emanating trust, treating the young man before him as pack.
"Portkey, don't worry. I'm not here to kidnap you or anything," the lad gave Remus a dashing smile, "I just want to hire you as my nephew's tutor."
The werewolf was about to ask a question before feeling a tug at his navel and whisked away. When he reopened his eyes, Remus found himself in an elegant, tastefully decorated sitting room that had minimal decorations but it worked very well. The older man immediately fell at ease, again feeling something familiar with this place along with the younger man.
"Here, take a seat." Kyle Peverell gestured to a comfortable looking armchair which faced another. He took a seat and Remus followed. Then the man held out a hand and a packet of parchments flew into his hand, the werewolf widened his eyes; the man knew Wandless Magic! And at this age!
He opened the folder and started reading.
"Remus John Lupin, born March 10th 1960." The other man looked up from the parchment and Remus realised that it was a folder on him.
"Attended Hogwarts 1971-78, Prefect since 75. 12 OWLs with 11 Outstandings and 1 Exceeds Expectations and graduated with top honours in N.E. Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Astronomy, Charms, Defence Against Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions and Transfiguration. Third in your graduating class." The young man looked up again, "Impressive, Mister Lupin. Why haven't you gotten a job with such credentials? I sure there are quite a lot of companies out there willing to hire you."
Remus's knuckles went white and there was a great, long pause which was accompanied with a palpable tension. Then the other man sighed, "It's alright, I know of your lycanthropy and to be honest, it doesn't bother me one bit. I used to have an uncle who was a werewolf and he was a good person, one of the best. One night out of the month doesn't define a person completely."
The older man couldn't speak so he settled for staring disbelievingly at the younger man. There was something about this young man who looked to be barely out of his teenaged stage of his life. The way he carried himself suggested an older person, an intelligent adult but the one thing that stood out the most in revealing his mental age were his eyes of a shocking jewel hue. They told him a story of experience, mostly bad, he knew because he saw the same eyes whenever he looked into a mirror. Remus felt as if he was looking at an old soul trapped in a younger body.
"Here's your contract, should you accept the offer to tutor my nine-year old nephew and I would preferred it if you stayed with us." When Remus heard the age of the child, he couldn't help himself but to feel his heart clench; Harry would be at the same age…
Quickly but thoroughly, the werewolf read through the contract. He couldn't believe what he was currently reading, it was a dream come true. He had the option of staying in the Manor or finding a reasonable place in Hogsmeade which would be fully paid, his hours would be from eleven in the morning to dinner, five days a week, the curriculum would be mostly up to him to decide and he was going to be paid 10 thousand galleons per month.
"Are you serious?" Remus looked up from the parchment with wide, disbelieving eyes. The younger man merely chuckled.
"It's yours if you want."
The werewolf then remembered a saying his mother was fond of, "Never look a gift horse in the mouth." Remus took a deep breath and nodded. He quickly signed it with a flourish, with a pen that the other man handed him. It was a Muggle pen but Remus thought nothing of it, only that Lily was the only other person whom he knew who used felt-tips. He then tapped his wand on the parchment and the paper glowed slightly. It was a magically-binding contract and Remus actually wondered for a moment about the need for such high levels of secrecy. Once the glowing subsided, Remus turned to his new employer.
"So when do I start, Mister Peverell?"
The younger man chuckled, "Please call me Kyle, Mister Peverell makes me sound eighty. You could start in a week, I guess. I do understand that you probably need more time to gather your materials but I'm afraid it can't wait."
Remus nodded, "Then you must call me Remus. How about we talk about your the subjects you would like your nephew to learn now? It would certainly help me with the compilation of the curriculum materials."
"I would like to start him on the basics and then hopefully he will be prepared for Hogwarts, preferably an early edge. Etiquette would be a major component as well, I don't mind you deciding on which teaching methods, you're the teacher after all."
Suddenly a house elf popped in and bowed, "Master Kyle, dinner is ready."
Kyle nodded and then he looked at Remus, "Would you like to join us for dinner?
"I would be imposing." The older declined but the younger man chuckled, "No, you wouldn't be, in fact, it would be very welcomed. Perhaps you would like to meet your new student?"
Grudgingly, Remus nodded and then Kyle turned to his house elf. "Lathy, Mister Lupin would be joining us as well. Inform the others that he will be staying with us from next week, prepare a room in the West Wing." The house elf nodded, bowed and then disappeared with a soft crack.
The younger man led Remus to a modest dinning room which was again, tastefully and minimally decorated. It was a medium sized table and it had three settings. Remus could see that they were using porcelain wares, instead of the usual silver. He caught Kyle's eye and smiled slightly; the man's green eyes glittered happily.
"Uncle Kyle!"
A raven-haired ball of energy barrelled into the room and attached itself onto the younger man's leg. Kyle merely chuckled and patted the young child on his head. Then a very familiar scent hit him at the same time when the boy turned his very green eyes to face him. A perfect mixture of James and Lily.
It was Harry.
Remus widened his eyes and stared. The young boy merely looked up at his young uncle and asked. "Uncle Kyle, who's this?"
"He's your new tutor. Harry, say hello to Mister Lupin."
At his name, Remus saw the bright beryl eyes light up. "Mister Lupin?" Harry crossed the distance between them quickly and looked up into disbelieving amber eyes.
"Moony?" At the nickname, the werewolf gasped and the young child beamed before proceeding to squeeze the life out of his legs. "Moony!"
At the second call of his nickname he hadn't heard in years, Remus broke out of his reverie, removed his leg from Harry's death-grip and squatted to be eye-level with his young cub.
"Hello Harry, how are you? I haven't seen you since you were this small." Remus smiled and gestured with a small distance between his hands. Harry giggled, eyes vivid with joy.
"It's been awesome since Uncle Kyle took me away from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon a week ago. He's been showing me the Wizarding World and it's so cool! You're tutoring me right? So what are you going to teach me?" Remus chuckled at the endearing picture the boy who was vibrating with barely contained excitement painted. He could already see traces of Lily in the young boy, the thirst for knowledge. But part of his mind also registered that fact that Kyle had to take Harry away from Petunia and her family. He shot Kyle a questioning look which was answered with a mouthed, "Later."
"Harry, you can ask Mister Lupin questions later. How about some dinner first? I'm sure you're hungry after running around exploring."
The young boy nodded eagerly and plopped himself on a chair directly across Remus's seat. As soon as everyone settled comfortably in the chairs, a delicious meal of steak and mashed potatoes with greens appeared on the plates. As Remus reached for his metal utensils, Harry cried out.
"NO! Moony! That's silver!"
Remus gaped at the outburst. Kyle quickly assuaged the situation by explaining, "Harry, it's alright. It's not silver, I had it replaced with stainless steel, it's not going to hurt Mister Lupin, alright?"
Relief pooled into the green eyes and he settled down once more, digging heartily into the plate of food before him with relish. The werewolf was shocked once again, he didn't just found a person who didn't mind his condition and actually cared about his wellbeing, he found two. Breaking off the thought, he started on his food. Remus had to concede that it was very good; the beef wasn't over seasoned, the mash potatoes had just the right amount butter and consistency, and the red wine was a vintage. It had been a long time since he had such a nice meal; he took care to savour it.
Remus also took the chance to observe the young boy before him; Harry was eating with manners that one wouldn't expect on a nine-year old, he ate really slowly and methodically with his mouth closed politely. The boy was also smaller than average for his age with pale skin, James's bird nest of a hairstyle and Lily's vividly emerald eyes.
Kyle broke the silence with a question directed at his nephew, "Harry, do you like the food?"
The boy looked up and nodded, eyes shining with bliss. Remus suddenly realised that this was a boy maltreated by his previous guardians. He growled menacingly under his breath until Kyle spoke up.
"Remus, I understand what you are feeling but there is always a time for everything and now is not the right time, let's enjoy dinner." The young man's emerald eyes glinted meaningfully and Remus inhaled deeply before nodding. Harry then broke the following short silence with a question over vanilla ice-cream and orange crepes.
"Uncle Kyle, since dinner is almost finished, may I ask my questions now?" The older green-eyed man nodded and Harry beamed, turning to the werewolf, "Moony, so what are you going to teach me?"
"Everything that I can before you start Hogwarts. Do you have any preferences for any subjects so far?"
Harry frowned cutely in thought and then brightened when he got the answer, "Potions looks interesting, I like cooking and they seemed similar. Only that Potions can help cure people."
Remus chuckled and nodded, it looked like Harry, while looking like a mini carbon copy of James, was Lily's facsimile in personality and brains.
"Yes, I also think that Potions is very interesting. It was one of your mother's best subjects, she was her Professor's favourite."
Harry's green eyes lit up with curiosity, "Really? Potions was Mum's favourite subject?"
The werewolf nodded, "Yes, one of her favourites. The other one was Charms. Your father liked Transfiguration the best."
Harry nodded eagerly, "I'll read more on those subjects. They all sound very interesting, I can't wait to get started! And Uncle Kyle got me a new wand! It shot out red and gold sparks when I touched it in the wand shop, it was amazing!"
Kyle chuckled at his nephew's excitement and Remus smiled, feeling at home for the first time in too long. The trio spent another hour talking at the dinner table until Harry's jaws cracked open in a yawn. Kyle smiled wryly and got up to usher his young nephew up to bed.
"Alright, it's time for you to get some sleep. Mister Lupin will be here tomorrow for your questions." Harry nodded, rubbing his eyes sleepily. The young boy then gave the werewolf a drowsy smile and said, "Goodnight, Moony. I'm glad you're here with us now."
Harry hugged the werewolf before he left the room and Remus felt his heart warm inexplicably but he also had a nagging suspicion that the young man before him wasn't all that he looked. He waited for about twenty minutes before the man came back.
"Sorry about that, he must have ran a lot today to tire out so fast." Remus smiled congenially and inclined his head with understanding but then his amber gaze hardened slightly as he asked.
"Who exactly are you?"
At that particular question, the other man smiled wryly and shook his head, eyes bright. "Nothing ever escapes you, does it, Remus?"
The werewolf was stunned with the familiarity that infused his name. Remus whispered, "Do I know you? I can't help but to feel as if I know you very well but I've never met you before. Your scent is so familiar but I can't identify it."
Kyle smiled wryly again and then gestured with a hand, "How about you coming into the study for this conversation? I believe it would be more secure."
Remus nodded and couldn't help but to think that the young man before him was little paranoid; not exactly Alastor Moody but still rather careful for someone his age. It spoke volumes as Remus suddenly realised that the young man before him had participated in a war but which one? As far as he was concerned, the werewolf was very sure that he had never seen Kyle on their side before.
A million questions flashed through Remus's mind while they walked to the study in silence. After entering a room decorated in warm brown tones and mahogany pieces, the pair of men settled in two comfortable armchairs and Kyle started talking.
"What you are about to hear next must not be repeated outside this room, I will require a Wizard's Oath to ensure your silence." Remus nodded, realising that what he was about to be told is of a very important nature. After performing the Oath and watching the glow around the tip of his wand subside, Kyle began.
"I'm a time-traveller."
"What?" Remus's eyes were wide once again, was he hearing things?
"I hail from the future, twenty years from the future to be accurate." Kyle's green gaze glittered darkly and Remus realised that the man before him was actually telling the truth.
"How… how did you get here?"
"I had a little help from Magic but the whole process was initiated by a team of people. I don't know how it happened exactly but I do know that it was by a stroke of luck and someone's sacrifice, I was granted a passage into the past."
"Magic?" Remus asked, incredulous. Then a musical voice interrupted them. The werewolf found himself looking at an extremely beautiful woman.
"Hello, you must be Remus Lupin." The woman smiled and Remus gaped.
"How did she get in?" Kyle sighed and introduced the woman.
"Remus, this is Magic. She's the one who sent me back to this time."
"Pleased to meet you. Regarding him, I had to, there wasn't another option. Well, there wasn't another option not involving me being wiped out." Magic shrugged and Kyle sighed again.
"So I'm here to change some things on her orders."
Remus gulped and then asked, "Why you? Why not someone else?"
Magic's multi-coloured gaze sparkled with amusement, "Why? Because there is no one better suited for the job of saving the world than Harry Potter himself."
"Harry?" Remus turned to face the young man, now thoroughly confused and bewildered. Magic then smiled and bid both men a goodbye.
"There are more pressing matters at hand that I need to attend to. It was nice meeting you, Remus. I'm sure Kyle will be able to explain everything. I'll drop by again when I have the time." Kyle nodded and the being wriggled her fingers, smiled knowingly and disappeared. Remus was frozen, still trying to process what just occurred.
"Harry's nine years-old this year but you're in your twenties and you don't look like a Potter. Your hair…" It was then when Remus realised that he was indeed looking at the older version of Harry Potter. He just had different proportions of his parents in his features. He still had the same messy hair despite its brown colour, James's devastating smile but he had more pronounced cheekbones, a more defined jawline and a slender nose. He had more Lily in his features. He should have known from the beginning, those startlingly green eyes only belonged to one person: Lily Evans. It was ingenious really, changing the percentages in which his parents' genes showed. Everyone, who expected a carbon-copy of James, wouldn't have guessed in a million years.
"I'm still technically related to the Potters, the Peverell family shared a common ancestor.''
Remus nodded but he had to ask, "Did Magic ask you to take your younger self away from the Dursleys?"
"No, that was something I wanted to do. I've lived a life there and it was horrible. I didn't think anyone deserved it."
"I see." Remus paused but then he plouged on. "Don't you miss your friends and your previous life?"
Kyle quickly shook his head, "I do miss my friends but where I came from, we were still in the midst of war and Voldemort was actually winning. Quite a lot of my friends were killed, driven insane or fled the country in fear. I didn't have a life back then but here, I'm just another Pure-blooded wizard. I have a nephew and I can build a life to my own here. I'm not the Boy-Who-Lived, I don't have my every move monitored by the media, the Ministry or Dumbledore."
Remus was shocked to see the green eyes darken in dislike when Dumbledore's name was mentioned. The werewolf stored that question for the future; right now he was more interested in the young man's story.
Kyle turned to Remus with sad eyes, "You were a casualty, your wife died shortly after you did and both of you left a son. I was Godfather but I couldn't carry out my duties as one because I was so busy fighting."
"Sirius escaped Azkaban," Remus gasped and the green eyes grew even sadder, "I'm sorry, Remus. Sirius wasn't the traitor, Peter Pettigrew was." The werewolf widened his amber eyes in horror and guilt, "Lily and James changed Secret-Keeper at the last moment because they all thought that Sirius would be a too-obvious choice. Everyone could go after Sirius and ignore Peter, thus keeping the location safe. Only that Peter was already a Death Eater by then, he served my parents on a silver platter to Voldemort."
Remus couldn't believe his ears. "Oh Merlin, I was so wrong. After all these years… I should have believed Sirius; he would have never harmed James, Lily or you. I…" Remus choked on his emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him. Kyle smiled sadly and tried to sooth the distraught man before him.
"Sirius thought that you were the traitor so they didn't tell you the last minute change. Everyone's at fault; he ended up in Azkaban because he wasn't given a fair trial. If he was given Veritaserum, it would have been cleared and I would have been in his care."
"Oh Merlin. I can't believe that I've been so stupid… Gods, the things I've…"
Kyle sighed, "You couldn't have known, stop blaming yourself. Don't worry, I'll get him out soon."
Remus reined in his emotions and nodded. Kyle gave him a look of sympathy and continued.
"I'll need your help besides tutoring Harry. You'll be his guardian while I'm away. There is two more years before Harry starts Hogwarts and that is when the timeline will started deviating. Until then, we've have to make use of the time we have to make preparations. We have to try and isolate the final fight between Voldemort and us because if we were to fight in the open, the war would trigger an apocalypse."
"An apocalypse?"
Kyle nodded, "The backlash of magic used during the Final Battle will mutate and become what we could call Anti-Magic. That particularly volatile brand of magic will come in contact with and cancel out magical energy, thus ending Magic's existence and stripping away everything's life-force."
Remus nodded, determined. Here is a chance to atone and the werewolf jumped to grab it. With a hard amber gaze, Remus agreed.
"I'll help in whatever way I can."
The young man before him nodded and smiled in relief, "Thank you. God, getting that off my chest and sharing it with someone else feels so good."
The werewolf mirrored the smile and then asked, "So what is our first course of action?"
Kyle's gaze turned shrewd. "First we have to establish an organization of our own to combat Voldemort with our own methods. I'll have to set up a corporation as cover to our operations. Of course the company would be legitimate; I have a mind to use it to manage both Harry and my estates. We will also make investments and ventures as so to prove the company's legitimacy. It wouldn't do to attract unwanted attention to certain aspects of our plans before we're ready to act."
The werewolf nodded, "So it is to establish yourself in the Wizarding Society?"
Kyle nodded, "The Peverell name does hold some sway and I intend to make it greater. Technically I'm Pure-blooded, so I would attract some attention on both sides, I could use it to our advantage. This way I could root out supporters of Voldemort and I could also instigate some changes to the Ministry and Wizarding customs."
"Change Wizarding customs?"
The younger man nodded again, "You do realise that we haven't advanced since the Middle Ages? We're still have the same traditional views, the same attitudes and customs. It's unsightly and unfair, especially with all the prejudice and corruption. Oligarchies don't really sit well with me. It's time for a change."
It took Remus a few moments to reply and when he did, Kyle wasn't disappointed. The werewolf merely gave the younger man a secretive smile and said.
"Yes, I do believe a change is long due."
Lord Peverell,
I believe it is in the best interests of both Malfoy Incorporated and Sable Industries that we meet to discuss certain issues that would be vital in determining the futures of our respective companies.
I hope that your nephew is doing well. Do state a time and a place at your convenience.
Regards, Lucius Malfoy President and CEO, Malfoy Inc.
Kyle scanned the letter again and this time, his lips formed a smirk. The regal Great Horned Owl perched on his desk hooted imperiously at him for a reply. Kyle chuckled and got straight to it.
Lord Malfoy,
Very well, I shall agree to meet. Seven p.m. at the Golden Fountain, this coming Thursday. We will dine in a private room where we will be able to discuss the issues you wish to bring to light in utmost confidentiality.
Send my regards to your lovely wife and son.
Regards, Kyle Peverell President and CEO, Sable Industries
The young man flicked a treat at the owl, which caught the bit of food midair. The owl crooned and lifted a leg to allow Kyle an easier time tying the reply. With an affectionate nip of a finger, the majestic black owl flew off.
Kyle sat back with a satisfied half-smile on his lip and a sly glint to his gaze. Finally Lucius Malfoy had made the first move.
In just a mere six months, Sable Industries established itself as one of the foremost contenders in the corporate world, buying out many smaller companies, making numerous investments in all the right places and most importantly, having the potential to topple Malfoy Incorporated from its throne.
Kyle and Remus had assembled an able team from both the Wizarding and the Muggle worlds to run the company. With assets worth more than 45 billion galleons, Sable Industries now came a close second to Malfoy Incorporated's 52 billion.
"Lathy," Kyle called out and the house-elf immediately appeared with a soft crack. "Could you please let Mister Lupin know that I would like to see him now?"
The house-elf nodded and Kyle smiled, "Thank you."
Lathy shook her head and said, "No need to thank me, Master Kyle. It's only Lathy's job," before disappearing.
Ten minutes later, a knock sounded on his door. Remus entered the room and Kyle smiled in greeting. The past half a year had been a good six months for the werewolf; Remus looked younger and much healthier, more like the handsome thirty-something man he was supposed to be. His amber eyes now had a spark in them and the crow-lines he had when he first stepped into the Potter Manor were nearly gone.
"Did something came up, Kyle?" There was now easy familiarity between the two men; Remus was firmly integrated as part of the family.
Kyle nodded and handed Remus the letter he received from Lucius. The werewolf quickly scanned through it and when he was done, he looked up and shared a smirk with the younger man.
"I guess it's now time for the next part of our plans to be set into motion?"
Kyle returned the smirk as he replied with an affirmative.
"Yes, it is."
TBC...
Coming Up Next: To Understand a Malfoy
Hope you all liked this chapter! I think it is my favourite chapter thus far, it was so easy to write – it just flowed out.
I'm sorry that little Harry didn't make much of an appearance in this chapter and he wouldn't for a good part of the next chapter too :( I promise to make up for you guys somehow.
I don't think I'm going to elaborate too much on how Harry is being tutored and what he is tutored in; that would be revealed when he is in Hogwarts.
While we're on the topic of Hogwarts, which House do you think I should put Harry in? I'm torn between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. There are also two different sets of friends that would contribute to Harry's development in different ways.
Slytherin would obviously mean a friendship with Draco and Blaise (Draco and Harry are already well-acquainted before Hogwarts) while Ravenclaw would mean Padma Patil and Su Li (I kinda like this because Harry would learn how to treat a girl properly and just because he's in Ravenclaw, doesn't mean he doesn't have Slytherin tendencies and it would cause less of a scene with Dumbledore and the Ministry)
Don't just say a House. I would also like to read what are your thoughts on this particular issue.
Anyways, I've got a new story: The Game. It's a James Sirius Potter/Scorpius Malfoy pairing. I thought that this pairing might appreciate some well-deserved attention. If you are curious, go check it out.
For those who still hasn't voted or don't know: there is a poll that will determine the order of my next stories. Summaries are on my bio, if you would like to see your favourite potential stories be written, go vote.
Feel free to leave a comment or share ideas. Until next time!
Cheers,
Lex.