Poor Decisions
Chapter Four: Revelations
Harry woke very early the next morning, dressed, then sneaked out without waking his dorm mates. When he reached the common room, he looked about cautiously to make sure that he was absolutely alone. When he felt comfortable, he withdrew his wand and tapped the tip to the top of his head – casting the disillusionment charm non-verbally. A smile spread across his face as the familiar feeling covered his body. It wasn't as strong as when cast by his older self, but until Dumbledore returned to him his invisibility cloak the charm would have to do.
Harry slipped quietly out of the common room and past the Fat Lady; her portrait still snoring as he gently closed the portrait hole behind him. The castle was still asleep as he slipped down the corridor, then down the Grand Staircase and out the front entrance into the grounds. The grassy grounds were soaked with rain from a morning shower and he had to walk with caution as not to make squishing sounds. He made his way towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest; keeping far enough away from Hagrid's hut so not to attract the attentions of Fang, the over-sized boar hound.
Once Harry reached the edge of the forest, he scanned the perimeter looking for any signs of life. He knew that if he wandered in too deep, he risked running into a centaur or something far worse like the spirit form of Voldemort. When he was sure that the coast was clear, he stepped in behind a nearby tree and removed the disillusionment charm. Taking a deep cleansing breath, he whispered, "Barberini."
Several minutes passed and Harry started to become very anxious. He was about to call out a little louder when the heightened senses of the veteran Auror detected a magical shift in the air about him. He spun round to see a younger version of the faun, leaning against the tree and looking up at him curiously. He noted that the faun was closer in size to his younger form.
"Why didn't you announce yourself?" demanded Harry in a hushed voice.
"Because… young wizard…" drawled the faun, in a way that would make the Malfoy's jealous "when someone I do not know summons me… I USUALLY JUST DON'T JUMP OUT AND SAY –"
The faun was clearly starting to lose his temper when his eyes found Harry's forehead and the unmistakable lightning shaped scar.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa." said Barberini, shaking his head in disbelief. "How? What? When?"
The faun started pacing in circles in front of Harry.
"If I may, I thought that –" began Harry.
"How does the most famous wizard since Merlin know me?" interrupted the faun, still pacing in circles. "When have we met? Why would we have met?"
It was clear to Harry that Barberini was ignoring him and talking to himself.
"You do realize that I can answer all your questions." scoffed Harry in spite of his own self.
The faun stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Harry.
"I became one of the elder fauns, met you and sent you back in time to fix what you royally screwed up." said Barberini, tapping his hoof.
"I… um… I guess that's one way to put it." said Harry, scratching his head. "I didn't know you were an elder faun though."
"I would have had to have been to send you back!" growled the faun. "You know, we fauns may not be as well respected as other magical creatures, but we're not stupid!"
Harry noted that Barberini's younger self was much angrier than his older version had been.
"No offense intended, Barberini." said Harry calmly. "I just need some answers."
"Who told you that you could summon me when you got back?" asked Barberini, folding his arms.
"You did." replied Harry, raising his eyebrows.
"I take back what I just said." muttered Barberini. "We're smarter when we're younger and dumber when we're older! You should have never summoned me. Have you any idea how much of your history you're changing right now? Of course, you don't!" Harry started to say something, but was cut off. "Listen, don't speak. Every time you do something different, you set off a chain of events that changes the future that you remember. Soon, nothing of your old past will be relevant. My advice to you is to take every advantage you have as fast as possible. Change what you can and use whatever knowledge you have of people to sway the future in your favor. You'll probably get only a year to enact your will before your days are full of things that you don't remember. Once that happens, the stage is set for your life – round two."
"Can I even say thank you?" asked Harry.
"Of course, you can." said Barberini. "We can hang out, talk about the weather, how stupid centaurs are… or you can focus on what you're here to do. Listen, consider me a new ally. Just think long and hard before asking me to do anything. Matter of fact, plan every move as best you can."
"I'll do my best." said Harry.
"So… what did you do in the Forbidden Forest today… ya know, the first time around?" asked the faun.
"I didn't visit –"
"Then get back up to the bleeding castle, ya muck!" growled the faun before disappearing with a pop.
"That went well." muttered Harry to himself as he cast the disillusionment charm on himself once more.
Harry walked back towards the castle, thinking about where might be the best place to start making the changes that needed to be made. Truthfully, he knew that he had already started the process when he befriended Malfoy on the train and alienated Ron. He rubbed his face in frustration. If only he had about a month to plan out what he wanted to do. 'Oh the foolishness of his drunken self', thought Harry as he chewed on the inside of his lip.
He stopped short of the entrance to the castle. Something felt off, so he decided to approach with caution. As gently as he could, he pushed open the door to the castle; squeezing himself between the smallest of cracks so not to draw attention from anyone that might be nearby. As he entered the Entrance Hall, he noticed the Weasley twins huddled in a corner. He knew that couldn't be good, though he had no previous knowledge of their actions before he became more acquainted with them as members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
"How curious, Fred." said George.
"Curious indeed, George." agreed Fred.
As interesting as it might have been to find out what the twins were up to, Harry knew he needed to return to the common room before the others began to stir. Just as he made it to the Grand Staircase, Fred uttered the words that froze his soul.
"How is it that ickle Harry Potter stays hidden from our view?"
"And what is he doing up so early and so near the Forbidden Forest?" muttered George.
Harry cursed himself silently. He had completely forgotten about one of the most important objects that he had acquired from the Weasley twins while at Hogwarts; the Marauder's Map. He turned on the step and looked up to see the taller twins standing directly behind him. Very quickly, two thoughts raced through his head. The first one was that he could simply obliviate their memories and attempt to avoid any further disruption to the past. The trouble was that simply obliviating them wouldn't prevent them from seeing him again on the map. If he took the map, he risked changing the past even further, as there was no way for him to know what they had done up until the time that they had given him the Marauder's masterpiece.
The second thought was to bring them into the fold, so to speak. He could use his Boy-Who-Lived title to mask his reasons while keeping them from interrupting his plans. He could also use their insight as a way to gain an even greater advantage, once things began to change too much for his old knowledge to be any use. Making up his mind, Harry placed his hand on his pocketed wand.
"Go to the left of the stairs and enter the first vacant classroom." breathed Harry. "We apparently need to talk. Do anything else and I will obliviate both of you before you can blink."
"Fair enough." whispered the twins in unison; both raising an eyebrow and smirking with delight.
Harry followed the twins into the classroom and locked the door behind them before removing his disillusionment charm. He cracked his neck and steadied himself before addressing the wide-eyed Weasleys.
"I believe we have a problem." sighed Harry, straightening his glasses.
"Problem?" repeated the twins in unison.
"Yes. A problem." said Harry, glaring at the two mischief makers. "You know of me as Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived – the only person to ever survive the Killing Curse. What you're not aware of is that I am the Chosen One. The reason that I'm here is to ensure that Voldemort never returns."
Harry wasn't technically lying. He had returned to the past to prevent Voldemort's second rise to power. He had a few other things that he wished to accomplish, but the twins didn't need to know everything. He just needed to convince them to remain quiet and go about their lives as normal. Well, at least as normal as it had been the first-time round.
Both twins shuddered at the name as Fred breathed, "Return?"
"Contrary to popular belief, Voldemort isn't dead, Fred Weasley." sighed Harry, as he stared at the awestruck twins. "He is out there waiting for his chance to return. If his followers are allowed to succeed, many will die. Before I continue I must ask – do you believe me?"
"How do we know." retorted Fred.
"That you're not a Death Eater in disguise." said George, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Because we all know that the Marauder's Map is never wrong." said Harry, smirking. "Do you believe me now?"
"Bloody hell." breathed the twins in unison, looking at Harry as though he had sprouted wings.
"How do you know about the map?" asked Fred, still staring wide-eyed.
"And how can you tell us apart?" asked George, his eyebrows raised.
"Maybe one day I'll tell you," retorted Harry "but for now, know that I have secrets and I prefer my privacy. My primary goal is to bring down the web of followers that Voldemort left behind after his fall before they can destroy any more families. I cannot do this if the Hogwarts Staff or anyone else knows of my mission. No other soul in this castle except you two, living or dead, knows why I am truly here – including the Headmaster."
"If you're here to stop You-Know-Who's followers." said George slowly.
"Then why befriend ickle Malfoy?" asked Fred, frowning.
"His father was one of You-Know-Who's followers." stated George, mirroring his brother's expression.
"Who had to buy his way out of prison." added Fred.
"I have my reasons." said Harry flatly. "Just know this – all that I will do while I'm here is to end the darkness that continues to overshadow the Wizarding world. I need you two to go on as though you never saw me today. This conversation never happened."
"What can we do to help?" asked the twins in unison.
Harry chewed the inside of his lip as he considered the possible usefulness of the twins to his cause.
"How often do you look at the Marauder's Map?" asked Harry.
"All the time." replied George, smiling broadly.
"Excellent." said Harry, silently wondering how much the twins had known of the trio's movements the first time around. "There's a couple of people I need you to keep an eye on for me."
~~Poor Decisions~~
As the first week of Harry's return got underway, he found that it was going to be a little bit more difficult than he had first anticipated to sneak away; even with the twins in his corner. For starters, he had decided to pair up with Hermione this time around, but she was no Ron. While Ron was content on being late to class and totally unconcerned with studying, Hermione was punctual and determined to get top marks. Harry had no issue with these differences, other than the fact that she was bound and determined to make sure that he did the same. He wanted to do well this time around, but there were other things he needed to do.
Harry intended on befriending Ron eventually and help his once great friend be a better person, but he still had to grieve out the old memories of Ron's betrayals. He could still hear Ron's anger as he accused him of being responsible for Ginny's death. He could still see Hermione's face as she told him what it had been like to live with Ron. These things were going to take time.
The second problem was Harry's memories. He was slowly coming to grips with the maddening task of placing them in the right order within his head. Conflicting memories of what had happened and what was happening made his head hurt far worse than his scar had ever done. Twice he had made his way to the hospital wing for a headache potion. He knew that every time he even sneezed, it was like ripples in a pond, and that the quicker he could get use to the changes, the better off he would be.
He had anticipated that Professor Quirell's class would be his most challenging task of the week, but instead found it to be quite simple. Knowing that Lord Voldemort was under that turban somehow made it easier and not harder. The old Auror saying was ringing true, 'The greatest advantage you can ever have is knowing who your enemy is and where they are'. Voldemort was weak and unable to harm Harry. The only problem he had was making sure not to be caught glaring at the back of Quirell's head. He would deal with the Defense Professor soon enough.
Now, the third and most immediate problem in Harry's mind was Professor Severus Snape. His first lesson with the Potions Master was drawing closer fast. He remembered clearly how the first lesson went and he did not want that to happen twice. The trouble was, how to handle the onslaught without allowing it to end bad. He knew what type of man Professor Snape was and he could not look upon the man the same way ever again. It was while he was leaving Herbology that the answer sprung into his head.
"Hey Hermione." said Harry, getting her attention as they headed back into the castle.
"Hmmm?" replied Hermione, lost in some distant thought.
"Study period is next, right?" asked Harry.
"Yes." replied Hermione. "I figured we could go to the library and look up more on the plants that Professor Sprout was talking about. It never hurts to read ahead."
"Off to another study date." simpered Ron behind them.
"Sounds great." said Harry, ignoring Ron. "I just need to head to the lavatory first, then I'll meet you there."
"Okay." said Hermione, smiling brightly before shooting a glare at Ron.
Harry waved then made his way towards the lavatory. As soon as he turned the corner, he sprinted down the empty corridor. He had studied the Marauder's Map for years while attending Hogwarts the first time and he hoped that Professor Snape's habits had been the same before Harry's third year. He rounded another corner just in time to catch a glimpse of Professor Snape's cloak billowing behind him as he entered the lavatory. Harry sat down on a bench in the corridor and waited. He knew Professor Snape's weakness and he was about to put it to good use.
Several minutes later, Harry heard footsteps that signaled Professor Snape's departure from the lavatory. Harry immediately placed his head in his lap, thought about the saddest moments in his life, and began to cry. Moments later, he felt the presence of Professor Snape standing over top of him and he looked up into the curious face of his old Potion Master.
"Sorry sir." said Harry, wiping his face with his hands.
"Mr Potter." said Professor Snape, smirking slightly.
"You – you know who I am?" asked Harry, sounding sincere.
"Mr Potter, I make it a habit to know the names of all my pupils – even before the first class." replied Professor Snape smiling. "Now, what has upset our young celebrity?"
"I'm no celebrity, sir." sniffed Harry, looking down at the floor.
"Come now." said Professor Snape; Harry looking back up at him. "I'm sure that there is nothing that you could not ask for that wouldn't be given to the Gryffindor darling."
"Sir, is there magic that can give me a mother?" asked Harry, looking into the eyes of a man he now respected.
Professor Snape's mouth fell open as he took a step back. It was a moment before he cleared his throat and regained his composure.
"Why… what… is this why you're crying?" asked Professor Snape, clearly confused as to how to ask the question.
"Sorry sir, but it's just that one of my house mates was talking about his mum last night and…" replied Harry, being honest as Seamus was talking about his mother the night before "I don't even remember my mum, so how can I miss her? Aunt Petunia was right… I'm just being stupid."
Harry saw the fire rage in Snape's eyes at the mention of Aunt Petunia.
"Your Aunt Petunia?" asked Professor Snape, trying to sound curious while not flinching.
"My mum's sister." replied Harry sourly. "I live with her and my Uncle Vernon. All I've ever wanted to know is something about my mum… something good… something real. You get tired of being called a freak and hearing your mum called the same."
Harry had to hold back a smile when Professor Snape sat down beside him on the bench. He looked at the Professor's fury filled face with a wide-eyed expression and waited.
"Mr Potter," sighed Professor Snape after several minutes, his face softening "I knew your mother. She was a great witch and a wonderful person."
"Sir, did you go to school with my mum?" asked Harry, fully knowing all that the Potions Master would possibly tell him.
"Yes I did, Mr Potter." replied Professor Snape. "She was in my year. I was in Slytherin and she was in Gryffindor."
"Were you two friends?" asked Harry, seeing the opening and taking it.
"Lily Evans was friends with many people…" said Professor Snape, closing his eyes so not to see Harry's expression "and yes, she was a friend."
"Sir, what was her favorite subject?" asked Harry, truly wanting to hear Professor Snape's thoughts.
Snape opened his eyes and looked directly into Harry's face. Harry checked his Occlumency shields and braced for their first real test. To his surprise, he felt no attempts to look into his mind.
"Mr Potter, your mother never could decide." replied Professor Snape. "She was quite fond of Potions, though I do believe that Charms and Transfiguration held a close second in her heart."
"Thank you, sir." said Harry, truly meaning it.
"What did I do?" asked Professor Snape, his voice regaining some of his usual silkiness.
"Thank you for giving me some good memories." said Harry, fighting back more tears.
"You're welcome, Mr Potter." said Professor Snape standing up. "Now, I am the Potions Professor here at Hogwarts and come Friday you will be in my class. That stated, your mother was a Muggleborn and one of the best in her year. Naturally, I will expect much from you."
"I will do my best, sir." said Harry smiling.
"Do not expect any special treatment from me just because I knew your mother." warned Professor Snape.
"No sir." said Harry standing up. He made certain not to look away or break eye contact. "I just hope that I won't disappoint you, sir. Before receiving my letter and meeting Hagrid, I never knew this world existed."
"If you are like your mother… you will do fine." said Professor Snape, chewing his lower lip.
"Well… I guess I'd best be getting to the Library, sir." said Harry. "My friend Hermione is probably waiting on me."
"One more thing, Mr Potter." said Professor Snape, freezing Harry in his tracks as he made to leave.
"Yes sir?"
"You never asked me if I knew your father." said Professor Snape silkily.
"Oh… um… did you know my father too?" asked Harry, hoping that things weren't about to go south.
"Yes, Mr Potter, I did." replied Professor Snape. "While he and I were not friends –"
"Ah, you caught one of the new students wandering the halls!" exclaimed Argus Filch excitedly, interrupting Snape and nearly dancing with excitement as he came around the corner. "That will be detention for you!"
"There will be no detention, Filch!" hissed Professor Snape, clearly annoyed at the interruption as well. "I was answering a few questions that young Mr Potter had before your interruption!"
"My apologies, Professor." said Filch quickly, looking away. "I was just following a student that was sneaking around and thought that you had caught them."
"I suggest you try another corridor." growled Professor Snape.
"Right away, Professor." said Filch, a look on his face like Harry had never seen before. He was scared.
Filch scurried away around the corner, headed down another corridor as fast as he could go.
"Now," said Professor Snape, clearing his throat "best be getting to the Library, Mr Potter."
"Yes sir." said Harry, dying to know what he was about to have heard, but too afraid of ruining the moment to ask.
"And Mr Potter." said Professor Snape, halting Harry once more.
"Yes sir?"
"Watch out for Filch's cat." said Professor Snape. "They have a unique bond."
"I will, sir." said Harry, smiling as he turned and headed for the Library.
Harry was ecstatic at how things had gone with Snape. He could not have imagined a better outcome, though he so desperately wished he knew what Snape was about to say before Filch interrupted. The Filch interaction bothered him as well. In all the years he had known Filch, he had never seen him show fear around Professor Snape. The old Auror inside him knew he would have to keep an eye on that dynamic.
Harry had barely exited the corridor when he heard a "Pssst!" He spun around, looking for the source of the sound.
"Harry!" came the stressed whisper of Hermione from behind a nearby suit of armor; her arm motioning wildly for him to come there.
Harry made his way over to the suit of armor and looking behind it saw a very scared looking Hermione.
"Hermione?" whispered Harry as he stepped in behind the plinth with her; still amazed at the spaces his eleven-year-old form could squeeze into. "What are you doing back here?"
"I was in the Library, but I got worried so I came to see if you were okay." whispered Hermione, a tear stain tracing her left cheek. "Then I almost got pinched by that awful Filch, so I ducked in behind this suit of armor."
"Hermione, I told you that I'd meet you in the Library." whispered Harry. "I wasn't gone but… wait… what did you hear?"
Harry had quickly recognized a look in Hermione's eyes from the past.
"Oh Harry!" whispered Hermione.
Hermione threw her arms around his neck as she assaulted him with one of her characteristic hugs. Harry had almost forgotten how much he missed them.
"I'm fine, Hermione. Really I am." whispered Harry, patting her back.
"No, you're not!" whispered Hermione. "You were crying and Professor Snape was consoling you."
Harry's eyes popped as he heard words he thought no person would ever utter to him.
"Hermione, let's go to the Library before Filch catches us and I promise I'll tell you what just happened." whispered Harry, and they raced off to the Library together.
Harry knew that he had just made a major change to his past, though he wasn't worried. His comfort came from knowing that he only needed to focus on the key issues. Barberini had made it perfectly clear to him that even the slightest changes would send ripples through the future. Things weren't exactly as he remembered, but that was okay. The main events were still holding true – and this would give him the advantage he needed. Of course, there were three changes yet to come that he planned to make and he knew that those changes would probably shatter the world as he had known it forever.
~~Poor Decisions~~
"A word, Headmaster." said Professor Snape as he barged into Dumbledore's office; not bothering to wait until he was invited in.
"Severus." greeted Dumbledore, looking quite concerned and surprised. "What has happened?"
"I just ran into young Mr Potter." replied Professor Snape, sweeping around the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk like a giant bat.
"The boy hasn't even been here a week." sighed Professor Dumbledore, removing his glasses. "Surely he hasn't done something to upset you already. He hasn't even been to Potions yet."
"It's not him that has me enraged, Headmaster," retorted Professor Snape flatly "it's you."
"Me?" retorted the Headmaster, his eyes widening. "What have I done?"
"It was YOU that placed young Mr Potter with that pathetic excuse for a human being, Petunia Evans." hissed Professor Snape. "And please do not talk to me about his protection and the Greater Good. I know all about your reasons and as of today, I do not care."
"Severus?" questioned Professor Dumbledore, a small peak to his voice. "What has happened?"
"Today, I found young Mr Potter sitting in the corridor outside the lavatory, crying because he had never heard one nice thing about his mother." growled Professor Snape, closing his eyes. "That horse-faced hypocrite is still pining over not being a witch and has been taking it out on her nephew for the last ten years."
"Severus, I must say that I am shocked by your concern for the boy," said Dumbledore softly "however you must understand that placing young Mr Potter with his blood relatives was for his own protection. Besides, it was better for him to have been raised away from all the fame."
"He is Lily Evans' son." spat Snape, his eyes opening wide and flashing dangerously. "Fame would have had no effect on him, if raised properly. As for his protection… now that he is at Hogwarts, I see no reason why he must return to his useless aunt."
"Are you suggesting that he live here at Hogwarts, Severus?" retorted Dumbledore. "You know that the Ministry would never –"
"I'm not suggesting that he live here." interrupted Snape. "I'm suggesting that you find a suitable family for him to live with. I'm sure that it won't be too hard and I dare say that protecting them from the Dark Lord's remaining followers isn't beyond your capabilities."
Huffing loudly, Professor Snape turned and left the Headmaster's office before Dumbledore could utter a response. Dumbledore stared after Professor Snape, clearly stunned by the man's show of emotion. He knew that the Dursleys hadn't been kind to the boy, but he also knew that it had been the best way to protect him. Now though, he could tell that simply leaving Harry Potter at his aunt and uncle's home during the summers would not be an option. Once Severus set his mind about something, it was nearly impossible to steer him away until he completed his task.
A/N: Nearly a year and a half later it's update time! Seriously though, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please review. I would love to hear some feedback on Professor Snape as this is a definite step out of my comfort zone! Special thanks to Critters At Play for being beta. Any mistakes now belong to him. ;) I would also like to thank him for helping me with the chapter. I will update soon.