Disclaimer: The book of Fates says that Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.

About formatting:
For direct quotes I use italicized font.
Instead of footnotes I use double bold parentheses: (-( footnote text )-)

This is the 4th story in the series 'N years earlier; The Powers'.
It will tell how Voldemort was defeated 4 years earlier, than in canon.
And some interesting magical Power will be used to defeat him.

It's also a response to "Cruel and Unusual Pairing Challenge" by Maisie Malfoy.

CHAPTER 1
Worm(tail) in the APPLE

Somewhere in the vast universe, in another dimension there is Azure Palace of Pre-Life Existence aka APPLE.
The children, not born yet, reside there and patiently (or, sometimes, impatiently) wait for their turn to enter the Big World.
The keeper of the palace, tall white-bearded old man is called Father Time.

The children don't know their fates, neither Father Time does.
But one day one cute little girl with rather large front teeth decided that she will plan her future and the future of her soul mate (as she called him).
The girl's nickname was Hermiotter and her boyfriend's nickname – Scabby.

(-( Remember, in canon Hermione's Patronus was an otter and when Wormtail was Ron's pet rat his name was Scabbers )-)

- You see, Father Time, Scabby and I have thought everything through.
- When it's Scabby's time to pass through the Portal of Life I will hug him; so he will subconsciously remember that he should wait for me patiently.
- Then, 19 years later, when my turn comes, I would still remember that hug.
- So, I will wait patiently until I grow to become a beautiful maiden and then I will find my Scabby.
- And then we will live happily ever after!

And she smiled triumphantly at Father Time.
Father Time chuckled good-naturally,
- You cannot know it, Hermiotter; your destinies are hidden from you.
- Call your friend here, his time is tomorrow and today, by our custom, I'm showing him glimpses from his future 'Real Life'.
===o===
"Look, Scabby," said Father Time, "here on the desk lies the Book of Fates."
- It's enchanted so, that when you open it – it would open on the page with your fate.
- You won't see much detail – just some turning points from you future; and they will be blurry and foggy.
- Now, I'm leaving you alone with the book; you have three minutes.
- And three minutes after you close the book - you will forget all that you saw there.
- That's the custom and the law.

Three minutes had passed and Father Time came back.
To his great surprise, the boy, normally quiet and timid, was shaking with rage and shouted angrily,
- No! I don't want to be a rat!
- I don't want to be a traitor!
- And I won't serve the evil necromancer!
- And what it was at the end? It looked like my own prosthetic hand would strangle me.
- I'd better not be born at all!

With these words, he ripped a page from the book and tore it into small pieces,
- See, Father Time, now there is no Fate for me.
- And I won't be born.
"And," he said holding back tears, "It's for the best."

"Oh, poor kid," said Father Time, "You destroyed just a piece of paper; you Fate is still woven into the fabric of the Universe."
- But I do feel sorry for you…. Now I'm going to make exception for you.
- Let's see together what would happen if you are never born.

He pulled a hair out of his beard, wrapped it around two of his fingers and tapped the Book of Fates slightly.
The Book opened on the blank page.
Then a sequence of images emerged from it.
Old man and boy together watched the alternative future in which Peter Pettigrew did not exist.
===o===
None of Potters' friends would betray them.
Therefore:
1. If they went into hiding, Voldemort would not find them.
2. Voldemort would not be able to attack Harry Potter and "mark him as his equal".
3. There would not be any prophecy, predicting such event, neither any prophecy, mentioning "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord".
4. Voldemort would not have any particular reason to kill Harry Potter.
5. Potters would not have any particular reason to go into hiding.

Voldemort would not be hit by the magic of Mother's Sacrifice; he would accumulate more and more power and would take over the Ministry much sooner.
The policy of 'Final Solution to the Mudblood Question' would be implemented and hundreds of muggle-borns would be murdered.

Among them – young green-eyed witch Lily Potter.

From that moment on Severus Snape would tirelessly search for the way to get revenge on the Dark Lord.
Decades later he would successfully devise the Permanent Coma Potion and spray Voldemort with it.
And Voldemort would instinctively inhale its vapor.
The life of the Dark Lord would be sustained by his Horcruxes, but he would be held in Azkaban, heavily guarded and unconscious ever after.
That would be the end of the Dark Age, commonly referred to as "You-Know-When".

So, ultimately Voldemort would be defeated by the Power of Love – Snape's unrequited love for Lily.
But the cost of final victory would be many times greater.
===o===
Scabby gritted his teeth and whispered sadly, "Why me? It's not fair."
===o===
Next day Scabby, having forgotten what he saw yesterday, came to Father Time.
Hermiotter accompanied him; they hugged tightly.
Scabby promised to wait for her; Hermiotter promised to find him.
Then Father Time took him to the Portal of Life and he went through.
And on the other side of the Portal his Mother met him with joy and love.

Peter Pettigrew grew up without remembering either the Azure Palace, or Hermiotter, or their vows.

19 years later a witch by the name of Hermione Granger was born into muggle family.
She also grew up without remembering anything that happened in the Azure Palace.

Their lives were unfolding in strict accordance with the Book of Fates.
Until… until they met in the Shrieking Shack.

TO BE CONTINUED

Credits/Acknowledgement
The idea of Azure Palace was taken from the play "The Blue Bird" by Maurice Maeterlinck.

You do have the Power of Review, don't you?