Chapter Two – Time on My Side
With her wand still poised in the air above her head, a tornadic swirl of wind erupted with fury around her. In an instant, she felt weightless. Like an impressionist's painting, the colors of the room began to blend into a blur, shifting bright, then dark, like a lightning storm.
Without warning, her body felt as if it was being stretched like a piece of taffy. She screamed in reaction, and the sound echoed around her as the swirl of wind gained intensity. Forcing herself to concentrate on the time reversal spell, she pictured the memory she desired.
She felt as if her skin would be ripped from the bone. As her unwavering scream continued, competing with the sound of the angry wind, she remembered her objective: Severus. When she couldn't have him, when he didn't choose her, she had felt as if her life was incomplete. Yes, she continued living her life, always hoping, always dreaming. But seeing Severus tonight only reminded her that, sadly, he wasn't a whisper of a thought in his mind. And until that changed, he emptiness she had so carefully shielded for years would take over her soul. The pain was worth this journey for the man she had grown to love.
Just as she thought the fury of pain would make her pass out, the whirlwind silenced and ended.
Andrea dropped to the earth in a heap, the ground refusing to give in to her weight. She lay there on her stomach, her heaving chest shoving into the grass.
The grass.
Was she really where she thought she was? Had the spell that had taken her years to develop actually worked? Yes! She was here. Her fingers squeezed the grass to confirm her reality, the blades peeking through her fingers for freedom. With great effort, she rose to her feet, staggering at first, but quickly gaining her balance.
Directly ahead of her was the stunning image of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The castle glowed in the early morning light, the sun's rays barely peeking over the horizon. The image took her breath away. Hogwarts occupied a very emotional part of her soul … where she stored some of her greatest memories. And now it was back in her life again: her home away from home.
"Andrea! What in Merlin's name are yeh doing out here so early?"
She recognized the voice before she turned to greet him. The smile spread across her face in an instant.
"Hagrid!" She ran to him and threw her arms around the half-giant. Her tiny arms barely reached to his sides. He let out a surprised laugh and patted her head.
"Not sure what this is for, but it's always nice to get a hug." He pulled away from her and bent slightly toward her. It only emphasized their difference in height. "Now what are you doing out here? It's not even five o'clock in the mornin', and you have your OWLs today!"
Her mind conjured up a lie. "Um, I needed to study for my OWLs for astronomy class. I was just trying to get a good view of the stars in the morning sky. Some stars are more easily visible at different times of the night."
Hagrid smiled, her dedicated interest in her studies not at all surprising him. "All righ'. Just don't wander too far off the grounds. And you best get back inside before it gets too light out. Don't want yeh getting into trouble."
"Will do, Hagrid. See you later!" She turned and began her brisk walk back toward Hogwarts.
"Good luck on yer OWLs!" he called after her.
Andrea stifled her own laughter as the intricate details of the monstrous castle became visible as she hurried toward her former school. I can't believe did it! I developed the first time reversal spell without the use of a Time-Turner! And look where I am! Back at Hogwarts. This is insane. Focus, Andrea!
She shook her head as if the motion would calm her thoughts. But the spell had worked perfectly. Her memories of her fifth year returned to her mind as she crept back inside the castle.
The day of her OWLs had been one of the most stressful days of her career at Hogwarts. Sleep deprived and buried in her schoolbooks until nearly 3 a.m., she had been shaking with anxiety by the time her first OWL started. She had never received anything except perfect grades, and she had vowed that her OWLs would be no exception. And only adding to her wobbly hands were butterflies in her stomach. She had been seated beside Severus for her first OWL: a written potions exam.
As if the layout of Hogwarts was tattooed into the palm of her hand, she silently glided through the dimly lit hallways in her old school robes toward the Hufflepuff dormitories. She had a little more than three hours to prepare to ultimately shift the wheels of time.
With the clarity of crystal, her mind was working more efficiently than ever before, already planning the step-by-step process to alter her future. Like strategically shot lightning bolts, the neurons of her brain fired each phase then stored them like an alarm to go off at the appropriate time.
After rounding another darkened corridor, Andrea slipped down the stairs and passed the kitchens to the entrance of the Hufflepuff common room. "Meles meles." The password came out of her mouth as a whisper, but she wasn't at all shocked at how easily the memory returned. She had never made as many late night trips to the library or to the kitchens as she did during her fifth year. The door slowly opened, the creaking hinges echoing in the empty corridor. Unnoticed, she slipped inside.
Tiptoeing through the common room, she avoided a student that had fallen asleep studying in a cushy, yellow chair near the fire, her books scattered around her, opened at random pages.
Like badger holes, various, circular underground hallways lined the perimeter of the common room. Each tunnel led to a Hufflepuff dormitory. Andrea slipped through the second hallway, her cape fluttering behind her.
As she entered her former dormitory, her eyes widened to adjust to the darkened room. She felt the corners of her mouth curve upward into a smile. Her old four-poster was only a few feet in front of her! The black and yellow comforter rested on her bed, perfectly creased from lack of inhabitant.
"Andrea? Is that you?"
A muffled, groggy voice interrupted the silence, a silhouette moving in the darkness like a breeze. Andrea almost screamed in glee when she heard the voice.
"Amy?" A high-pitched whisper left her mouth, and she almost laughed at her attempt to stifle her excitement. Amy Isadorra, her best friend from Hogwarts, stirred in her bed a few feet away.
"What are you doing up? Go to bed. We have OWLs in like, three hours." Her raspy voice barely had enough strength to cut through the silence.
"I know. I was just studying," she replied, carefully slipping through the darkness toward her four-poster. Amy rolled over into a different position, and the room became silent once again. As Andrea let her body sink into the luxuriously comfortable mattress, she wished it was light enough to see her friend. Actually, Andrea thought, I wish I could see me. She was 16 again!
Andrea leaned against the pile of pillows at the head of her bed and tried to picture what she looked like at 16. Just minutes ago she was 21, but suddenly her young adult years were staring her in the face. But unlike her former 16-year-old self, she could now utilize the knowledge she had obtained from the real wizarding world and use it to her advantage.
As the early morning sunlight began to creep over the horizon and into the dormitory windows, Andrea finalized the details of today's plan. Her first OWL was about to be the first step to her new life.
The other Hufflepuffs in the room began to stir and rise just after six a.m. Andrea pretended to do the same, starting out her day as she had so many times in years past. Each new event brought more surprises in the form of memories; everything from her old clothes to her old toothbrush made a warm feeling fill her chest. Showering and dressing in her Hufflepuff robes, she finally allowed herself to look in the mirror.
Her eyes widened. Her pale skin was perfectly smooth and clear, showcasing her pale blue eyes and long eyelashes. Long tresses of wavy, strawberry blonde hair flowed over her shoulders and came to rest just above the small of her back. Like any teenager, she had often criticized her appearance, but currently, she was rather pleased with what she saw. Running her fingers through her hair to add some volume, she turned to leave the restroom, but collided with a body.
"I know you're in a rush to get to OWLs, but geez, watch where you're going." Amy playfully nudged her friend as she stepped up to the mirror Andrea had previously been using.
Andrea partially laughed, partially gasped in response, the awkward sound making Amy turn to look at her.
"What was that about?" she asked with a light laugh of her own.
"You look so pretty," she said, her voice full of genuine sweetness. Amy smiled but scoffed in response as she applied a small amount of mascara to her eyelashes.
"Yea, right. I don't have the perfectly gorgeous hair down my back. Or the perfect frickin' body," she replied, holding her hand out at Andrea.
"Shut up." Andrea gave her friend a light shove. Amy was always far too modest about her appearance, her long legs and thin frame attracting the attention of the boys in all the houses. But then again, Andrea did, too, even though she had never allowed herself to admit it during her school years. She and Amy were inseparable, and probably two of the most popular girls in Hufflepuff. And the boys would track them anywhere. All the boys except Severus. What would he look like?
"You wanna study with me and Rob before the Potions OWL?" Amy asked, walking out of the restroom with Andrea. "I know it's already after seven, but he and I wanted to cram for a few minutes before the test. And we could use the help of our smarty pants friend."
"Um, sure." Andrea's mind quickly calculated the order of operations of her plan. Nothing could interrupt her carefully crafted strategy to bring Severus into her life, but she did, in fact, have time to spare before the OWL.
For the next thirty minutes, Andrea sat in the common room with Amy and her boyfriend, Rob, cramming their heads with last-minute potions facts and figures. Andrea, however, had to pretend to study, as her mind was focused on Severus. It was absolutely crucial that her mind remain on her objective: the man of her dreams.
At 7:45 a.m., a clashed assortment of Hufflepuff yellow and black and Gryffindor maroon and gold filed into the Great Hall for the first OWL. Unlike meal times, the meshed rabble of conversations were subdued and edgy as students panicked about earning an "Outstanding" on their exam.
The rabble faded to silence as Andrea's eyes found the back of Severus's head. The long curtains of black hair gave him away in an instant, his body hunched over the tiny desk as he studied pages of notes filled with his cramped handwriting.
A small smile formed on her lips as she came was close enough to watch his expression as he studied. His black eyes, full of concentration, made rapid, saccadic jumps across the pages, his long fingers delicately tracing the neatly written notes. As she watched him study with such dedication, her heart fluttered inside her chest. The rapid movement helped her glide over to Severus, her first love, her last love.
"Good morning, Severus," she said nonchalantly as she reached his desk.
He looked up as she greeted him, a chunk of black hair falling forward from the restraint of his left ear. His eyes showed no emotion, but the youthful glow of his sallow skin momentarily took Andrea's breath away.
"Andrea." He nodded his head in greeting, then took hold of one of his quills in preparation to take some last minute notes.
"I just wanted to say good luck on the exam. But I doubt you'll need it. Not many people understand the fine art of potions – I'm sure I'm one of them. But you're one of the few that do."
Her statement made Severus freeze, and for the first time ever, she noticed a blush form on his pale cheeks. Andrea's stomach flitted in response, the tingling sensation traveling to her core.
He cleared his throat before he continued. "Um, yes. Potions are not a meager area of study. And I do feel I am adequately prepared."
Andrea gave him her best casual smile. "I have no doubt you'll do well."
Severus fidgeted with his quill as Andrea placed her hands on the sides of his desk and leaned forward. She had purposely left the top buttons of her black robes unbuttoned, exposing her cleavage underneath her yellow sweater. Severus's eyes flicked downward to the partially exposed creamy flesh, then scrambled back upward to her eyes.
"Yes, um, good luck to you." He secured his grip on his quill, then buried his flushed face in his notes.
Andrea smiled as she walked to an open seat kitty corner from Severus. She sat down in front of James Potter and dropped her bag on the floor. As she sat, Severus's head turned backward in her direction and met her eyes. In an instant, he flicked his head forward, his hair whipping around in response.
Phase one of her plan was complete. With her confidence soaring high above the clouds, she anticipated her remaining stages falling into place with the delicacy of a raindrop.
