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Thank You Lord Voldemort
Chapter 13 - Second Chances
After Severus had left the room again Alex stopped pretending to be asleep. He had heard Severus writing something before he left and Alex was surprised to see a note on his own nightstand. He reluctantly picked up the piece of parchment and began reading.
Alex,
I'm not sure how to go about proving to you that I am trustworthy. Right now I don't believe myself to be worthy of you at all and I understand that you won't forgive me. All I can say is that I've fallen so deeply in love with you and I care for you in such a way that I couldn't bear it if something happened to you. Even if you can never accept me back into your heart, know that I will always look out for you and protect you. You are a very special person. When I look into your eyes my resolve melts and so many times in the past month I had almost told you everything. Alex, you make me want to be a better person. I have taken you up on your suggestion and taken a step forward into what you said that I do in the future. I am going to the headmaster. I don't know if he'll expel me or take me up on my offer but either way my conscience will be clearer.
Severus
By the time Alex had finished the letter tears were evident on his cheeks. He sniffled as he put the parchment in his trunk. He thought about whether or not he could forgive Severus and decided that he'd try. He owed it to himself and to Severus. He knew the onyx eyed Slytherin was only trying to protect him. He chuckled when he realized it was the same thing Professor Snape did in the future, always saving his hide while hurting him in the process. He wondered about professor Snape and the others back in 1997. Had they figured out what happened to him yet?
He took a deep breath and headed out of the dungeons to find Severus. Approaching the headmaster's office, Alex could see Severus standing at the gargoyle trying to get in. Alex walked up behind him, snaking his arms around Severus' waist from behind. He felt the Slytherin's sharp intake of breath.
"I forgive you Severus. My life in this time is empty without you in it." Severus turned to look into those emerald eyes to see the truth in them. His own eyes were glistening with tears.
"Thank you Alex. I've missed you more than anything. I don't get many second chances."
Alex smiled before stepping up to the gargoyle and saying the password.
"Now it's time for you to get a second chance with the headmaster."
When Severus and Alex reached the top of the stairs the headmaster welcomed them in.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Alex nodded to Severus who took a deep breath before speaking.
"Professor, in the past I made a really bad choice and I wish to atone for it. I became a death eater. I no longer want that life and I ask for your help."
The headmaster's eyes seemed to twinkle more than usual as he listened to the wayward Slytherin. "Well, Severus, there is no way to remove the mark from your arm but you do have options. If you truly want out of that life altogether than I can offer you asylum in the castle but it won't be much of an existence. The other option is to be a spy for the light. You would carry on much as you do now but if you hear any of Voldemort's plans you can come to me. I will also give you certain privileges and protections. The decision is yours."
Severus looked in awe at the headmaster and then over to Alex where he could see the love the man had for him. "I would like to be a spy sir."
The headmaster smiled and stood up, patting Severus' shoulder. "You have made a wise choice Mister Snape. I will supply you with an emergency portkey to carry around."
"Thank you sir."
The two Slytherins left the headmaster's office and headed back to there common room and then to bed.
The following morning they were back to being inseparable. They weren't quite how they were before but it would only be noticeable to those who were close to them. After classes were finished for the day they hurriedly ate dinner and headed outside to talk. It was Alex's idea that they should just talk for a while to clear the air.
"So, what did you do all month Alex? I hardly saw you at all?"
Alex stared at the ground. "I .. I was researching ways to get back to my own time."
Severus swallowed. He didn't want to think about Alex leaving. "Anything promising?"
"Well, I think I may have found the curse that was used on me but I'm not certain. The headmaster is looking into it."
"What curse? Someone cursed you? I thought it was just some sort of accident. You've never talked to me before about what happened."
Alex motioned for Severus to sit down as he sat himself. He grabbed the other's hand to ground himself. "I was in the great hall for dinner when a dark wizard attacked. Someone had given me a potion. That person had told me to drink it before I got into a duel with the dark wizard so I did. The dark wizard hit me with a curse that he said would kill me but because of the potion I came here."
"So, a potion reacted with the curse?"
"Yea."
"You know, there's not many ingredients that will do that. There must have been boomslang skin. It helps a potion to interact at a deep level with the human body. Any potion that powerful would have to have it."
"Like polyjuice?"
"Exactly. How do you know about that? It's a restricted potion. We don't learn about it in Hogwarts at all. And who gave you such a powerful potion?"
"I just do. I can't tell you. And, you gave me the potion."
"I gave you the potion? That's odd. I thought you said I didn't like you in the future."
"You don't. It confused me as well. Anyway. I'm not sure of the spell that was cast anyway. When Dumbledore gets back to me I'll fill you in."
"Okay. You know, all of this talk about sending you home is making me depressed. Let's see. For the past month all I did was study and go to a couple of meetings with the dark lord. That was a blast." He finished in a sarcastic tone.
As they were talking a familiar bird appeared in front of Alex with a piece of parchment.
"Hello Fawkes." Fawkes dropped the parchment in front of him and flew off.
Mister Campione,
The information about the curse that Slytherin used to use is hopeful. I did some additional research and discovered that the curse was very unstable and had to be perfectly controlled. It seems as though it would be very susceptible to interference by a potion. Now we just need to figure out a potion that would do this. There is none currently known so I will get working on discovering one. I will let you know when I have found something.
Headmaster Dumbledore
Alex handed the letter to Severus who read it quickly then turned to Alex.
"So what was the curse?"
"It was an ancient curse designed to make someone younger. Slytherin often used it to make someone younger than their age would allow thus killing them. It was supposed to be very painful."
Severus grew pale as he imagined how painful such a curse would be. "Alex, why was this dark wizard after you? Why would he want to cause you so much pain?"
"I can't tell you." Replied Alex sheepishly.
"So, I guess you really miss your friends eh?"
"Yea, I do. We're really close. They probably think I'm dead. When you left me all I could think about was getting away, back to my own time. Without you there's nothing here for me. Now that I have you back I'm not sure I want to leave even if we do find a way."
"I know what you mean. You won't tell me when you're from so I don't know how long I'll have to wait to see you again if you go back."
"I wouldn't expect you to wait for me. It would be a long time." Alex looked at his feet as he spoke. He didn't want to think of Severus with anyone else. But if he left he couldn't expect him to wait twenty years.
Severus pulled Alex close for a kiss. Alex responded immediately, running his hand through Severus' hair. Severus turned his head and whispered right at Alex's ear. "Let's not talk about you leaving. I want the time I do have with you to be happy."
Alex's breath hitched as the smooth voice tickled his ear and neck. He whispered back giving the other boy chills. "Let's not talk at all." He grinned as he felt the Slytherin shudder in his arms.
They laid there in the grass under a tree by the edge of the forest holding each other for a while, interrupted briefly by sweet caresses and kisses.
"You do know that I love you Sev. One day I want to be able to give you all of me. Right now it's just a little soon. I want our first time to be special for both of us."
"Me too Alexander. I love you more than I ever could have imagined."
Back in 1997
Albus Dumbledore called a meeting of the innermost members of the order of the phoenix. It was early December and after three months without Harry things were getting rough. Morale of the members was at an all time low so Dumbledore had decided to release some information about Harry. In attendance were most of the professors, including Snape and Lupin, the Weasleys, Alastor Moody, and Tonks.
"Thank you all for showing up. I have some information about Mister Potter that I have been withholding. I've decided to share it with you but it mustn't leave this room."
He waited to see everyone nod. He noticed that Mrs. Weasley had begun silently sobbing as she still hadn't gotten over the loss of her "adopted" son.
"When Voldemort cursed him at the beginning of September he wasn't killed. Instead he was sent back in time twenty years. Currently he is in his seventh year at Hogwarts in 1977."
As he spoke everyone except Snape and Lupin began murmuring to one another, shock evident on their faces. Flitwick and McGonagall, who had been teaching at the time, instantly put two and two together and guessed who he was.
"You mean Harry was Alexander? The poor dear, he had alot to deal with that year." Said McGonagall shaking her head. She clearly remembered the way her Gryffindors were constantly fighting the boy. Flitwick, who's thoughts instantly turned to the night he had caught Alexander Campione and Severus Snape snogging, glanced over to the Slytherin head of house, grinning.
The others in the room sat quietly waiting for the headmaster to continue.
"When Harry arrived in 1977 he didn't tell anyone who he really was so we made up a name, Alexander Campione. He was sorted into Slytherin and completed his seventh year there. At the end of the year we tried to send him back here. We know that he left 1977 but we have no way of knowing whether or not he made it back here. We will just have to wait. I'm sorry I kept this from you for so long but I don't want Voldemort to know that he was unsuccessful."
Minerva looked over to Remus Lupin, who hadn't shown any emotion during the meeting. She clearly remembered the duel that he had with Alex. She walked over to the werewolf to comfort him. "Remus, you must have been shocked to find out who Alex really was. I remember the two of you being in one of the biggest duels in school history."
Severus walked over, sneer in place, you don't know half of what this monster did to Alex. Nothing a little potion couldn't cure though." Minerva looked back and forth between the two professors. She could almost feel the power radiating off of them as they came close to losing their tempers. She realized she would have to intervene.
"Severus, can I talk to you privately?" She motioned for Remus to leave them and Remus sulked off towards the others.
"Severus, if I'm not mistaken, weren't you and Alex involved?"
He glared at her audacity to ask such a personal question. "Yes, we were."
Minerva just smiled in return and walked away. 'Won't it be fun when Harry gets back.'