A/N This is the second of two chapters I've posted at the same time. Please be sure you've read chapter 17 before reading this one :)
Chapter 18: A Different Sort of Bargain - May/June 1993
Harry consoled, "Of course Mr. Malfoy would want you to think your dad's in trouble. That doesn't mean that he actually is."
Hermione added, "Your dad was at the quidditch game. Mr. Weasley might just have been an observer."
"He was there?" Ginny and Ron were both incredulous.
"Yeah, presumably to watch his sons play. I saw him sitting with the teachers at all three Gryffindor games this year."
Harry frowned. "I wonder why he didn't say hello to either of you. He was at the castle anyway." No one had an answer for that.
No further information materialized by lunch the following day. As the favorite child, Ginny was nominated to write a letter to their father.
As she wrote, Hermione said, "It's good that we haven't heard anything, actually."
Colin missed the point. "His arrest might have just missed the morning edition of the paper."
Hermione leveled him with a glare and mouthed "Shut up." At that, he looked contrite.
Colin received a week's detention for his role in the rogue bludger incident.
It turned out that the Hufflepuff beater was also a fan of the Great Harry Potter and wanted to see him in action. He got two weeks of lines with Professor McGonagall for performing the obviously dangerous spells.
It was halfway through exam week when the Weasley children got news. Their father owled them an apologetic explanation:
Dearest Ginny (and Ron, Fred, George, and Percy if you're reading this too),
I hope you will be able to forgive me for the worry I've caused.
Yes, I have run into a spot of trouble, but I was cleared by the aurors after I was able to give a satisfactory explanation. Lucius Malfoy had it out for me, of course, but it amounted to little in the end.
I won't explain the sources of my displeasure in a letter, but you can ask more when you're home for the summer. Suffice it for now to say that I was deeply angry at your Professor Lockhart.
At first, I planned to only write a threatening note to Lockhart. It seemed rather harmless at the time, and the poetry of a retribution curse fit my note's desired purpose. It's more obvious in hindsight that I should have left it there, but I did not.
After penning the note, I realized that I could sneak onto Hogwarts and make my message appear to come true. I took advantage of a disciplinary meeting for you, Ginny, as well as the boys' quidditch games. I saw Lockhart attempt to perform a spell, and I performed that same spell on him.
My biggest regret is that Ginny (and Colin) bore his ire for my actions. For that I'm deeply regretful.
I have been politely discouraged from visiting Hogwarts for a time, which I will respect. Your mother is still welcome, and she will be there if the need arises. I'll see you at King's Cross next week.
Yours,
-Dad
Ron finished reading. "Blimey." The letter was in his father's handwriting and with his normal style of writing, but Ron had trouble seeing his father doing the things he described.
The twins were sanguine about their father's role in the drama the whole school had talked about:
"Would have been a great prank— ."
"If it hadn't spiraled out of control."
Percy shook his head, unamused. "I'm just grateful he didn't actually use an illegal curse. This is already quite embarrassing for the family."
Harry was deeply relieved when Ron showed him Mr. Weasley's letter. Harry would feel incredibly guilty if his friends' father went to prison as an indirect and unintentional result of their time meddling.
The end of year exams were novel to the trio — tests had been cancelled in their original second year. Harry knew better than to tease Ron about it, but he showed more nerves than Hermione in this timeline.
Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny made their way through the entrance hall after an informal quidditch game on the day of the Leaving Feast.
The group heard the headmaster's voice, "Harry, my boy. Might I have a word?"
Harry waved a reluctant goodbye to the Weasleys. Then he focused on a sanitized version of his real thoughts in feelings as he followed Dumbledore up to his office.
Harry had managed to avoid Dumbledore most of the year. None of the recent drama was related to him. So, Harry was confused about why the headmaster sought him out again.
"Sir?" Harry prompted.
"Ah yes. You must be hoping to get back to your friends. I'll get to the purpose of this little chat. At the beginning of this year, Dobby the house elf had a warning for us. While this year had some… ups and downs shall we say, no dire plot materialized."
Harry listened with growing concern.
"Since you and your friend Ronald had some prescient theories regarding the Lockhart-Colin quidditch match, I thought I should ask: did you see anything of note? A thwarted threat?"
Harry bit his lip in thought. He decided that a part of the truth was better than a tangled lie. "It did occur to us that Mr. Malfoy might have a house elf. We saw what he said… in the papers a few months ago." Harry hoped that the oblique reference to the ICW story about Dumbledore would distract him.
Dumbledore nodded then said, "A sensible connection to make. He has been after me in various arenas for some time. Dobby did say that the plot wasn't related to Voldemort. Lucius' has never been convicted as a Death Eater. Even if he were one, I doubt whatever he was up to this year was in service to Voldemort."
Harry couldn't resist feeling a bit impressed by this conclusion based on the information Dumbledore had. Harry didn't think the diary plot was particularly related to Voldemort's goals either, after Ron had talked it through with him.
Dumbledore looked at Harry as though waiting for him to say more. Harry decided to ask a question that Hermione brought to him months ago. "Sir, did Voldemort ever go to school here? I was wondering."
"I, too, have wondered." The old man looked more lively at this idea. "I have suspicions, but only that. He may have walked these halls as a young man with, if I may say, similar overall appearance to your own." Dumbledore glanced at Harry. "But you and he are as different as two students could be. You care deeply for your peers, and the student I believe self-styled as Lord Voldemort never did."
Harry arranged his face into a thoughtful expression while carefully avoiding any analysis while in front of a man who could read his mind. Later, Harry would note that the diary incident from his past must have solidified the connection between Head Boy Tom Marvolo Riddle and Voldemort in Dumbledore's mind. With proof of that and the careless treatment of the diary horcrux, the old wizard had a good foundation to suspect the number and discover the locations of the remaining horcruxes as well as their vessels. This would be another difference in this timeline.
Dumbledore said, "Ah, I will make an announcement at next year's Welcome Feast, but I can tell you a secret if you promise not to spread it around."
Harry said, "Sure."
"This relates to your wise observations about our devoted gamekeeper." Dumbledore leaned in. "I'm in the process of arranging an assistant professorship for Hagrid. He will be contributing to next year's Care of Magical Creatures classes, barring no unforeseen obstacles."
"That's brilliant! He'll be so pleased."
Dumbledore wouldn't be the last person to try to catch Harry before he left for Summer break.
Professor Snape loomed over the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall after the Leaving Feast started to wind down. "Mr. Potter, might I have a word about your final exam?" Snape sounded stern, but Harry suspected this was an act for plausible deniability.
Ron said, "Oooh. Bad luck there, mate."
Harry shot him a light glare as he followed Snape out of the Great Hall.
Harry and Snape settled into the latter's office with a complicated privacy ward in silence.
Snape said, "If anyone asks, I am currently questioning you on your source for the detail about beetle's eyes you put in your final examination."
"Yes, sir."
"In truth, I am following up on the promise I gave you earlier this year, about the nature of your protection against Quirrell and the Dark Lord."
He paused to look at Harry before explaining, "This is one of many theories out there as to your survival and Voldemort's temporary defeat. I am neither the first nor the last to think of it, but I believe it has merit. Your 'Boy-Who-Lived power' is most likely the result of a magical bargain."
Harry remained quiet, hoping for further explanation. He was rewarded.
"Somehow, Lily Potter tricked Voldemort into accepting her death in your stead in the eyes of magic itself. This function of magic is not well understood, but there are documented cases of it if one knows where to look. The key is that he would not have killed her, but for the bargain."
"Do you know why Voldemort wanted to kill me but not her?"
"I do." Snape elaborated. "But I don't believe that now is the time to share that."
Harry already knew the answer: the prophecy. He asked as a test. Even though Lily-as-Snape didn't share the information, she didn't deny that she knew. In Harry's eyes this whole conversation was a big improvement over any conversations he'd had with his mother in the previous timeline.
"Returning back to my theory, I believe that you are protected from direct or indirect harm by Voldemort's hand, though you are not invincible." Snape had slowed his speech to a snail's pace for emphasis. "The friends who follow you into danger aren't invincible either."
"And it's not a guarantee that it really is a magical bargain."
"Indeed. I was tempted to not bring this to your attention because I feared that it would invite recklessness. However, you would also have undeserved success if you again… proceeded past the three-headed dog, as the expression goes."
"Ah yes, I'm familiar with that idiom," Harry deadpanned. "You're saying that I can confront Voldemort or his followers again and again, and would probably slip away every time." He hastily added, "In theory."
"Correct. I believe this would fail to teach you caution, hence why it falls to me now." He pointed at Harry for emphasis as he said, "Stay out of trouble. And don't think I don't know that you've been intentionally provoking Lucius Malfoy. He is an agent of the Dark Lord, but he can hurt you for his own reasons."
"I understand."
Snape waited several moments. "This brings me to a follow-up question for you, in the utmost confidence."
Snape waited for verbal confirmation that Harry agreed.
"Have you used your 'Boy-Lived-Powers' to destroy any books in the last year or so?"
Slowly, Harry said, "I haven't, no."
Snape stared in silence before saying, "I had a particularly concerning conversation with Lucius Malfoy about an ill-advised plot of his that amounted to nothing. If you encounter any diaries of uncommon sentience, please bring them directly to me. Without informing other school professionals, if you will."
Harry narrowed his eyes. "To destroy, or to return to Mr. Malfoy?"
"A good question, but not one that you should trust me to answer."
The answer was like flying his broom into a wall. Harry had thought that he was making good progress towards Snape trusting him, and here he was putting distance between them.
Snape pointed towards the door to his office.
"Have a good summer, sir."
Hermione rode the Hogwarts Express with several groups of people over the long journey. The train pulled into the station when she was sitting with Lavender, Parvati, Susan Bones, and Hannah Abbott. She gave each girl, even Hufflepuffs that she didn't know well, a hug goodbye and a promise to write over the summer.
After collecting Crookshanks' basket and her trunk, she made her way off the platform. Her parents were waiting for her with big smiles. Last timeline, she rushed them off the platform lest they hear that she spent two months of the school year as a statue. This time, they lingered.
Hermione could see Harry and Ron make their way over to the Weasleys. The Dursleys were possibly waiting on the other side of the barrier. Hermione's grip on Crookshanks' basket tightened when she noticed a familiar blond couple moving towards her two friends.
The witch couldn't hear what was being said, so she told her parents, "Please wait here." Hermione moved closer.
Ron stood beside Harry with his arms crossed. The rest of the Weasley clan stood behind them with matching expressions of disdain, presumably directed at the Malfoy family.
Harry said to Mr. Malfoy, "Here. Your son tried to take this from me." Harry put a familiar black journal into the wizard's hands.
Hermione thought, That was probably the copy of the journal that I made Harry.
At first, Mr. Malfoy was wide-eyed. Then he inspected the book, presumably enough to see that it wasn't the diary he passed to Ginny Weasley. Then, Mr. Malfoy sneered, disgusted. He handed the book to his servant standing miserably at his feet.
"Dobby is free!" The house elf held up a sock, evidently stuck between the pages. Hermione smothered a smile.
"You!" Mr. Malfoy's expression darkened. He pointed at Harry but couldn't actually think of anything to say. Mrs. Malfoy took up that mantle by saying unkind things about Dobby.
Draco Malfoy's anger at Harry rapidly faded to discomfort at the scene his parents were making. He pulled on his parents' sleeves, and the family of three departed.
Then Harry knelt. "Dobby, I'd love to have you help me with some things." Dobby burst into tears. Harry held him in a gentle hug for a while, then started whispering into his ear.
Dobby nodded, then disappeared.
Onlookers were of mixed reactions: the Weasleys looked gleeful at the Malfoy's embarrassment. Some looked confused. Others were transfixed by the fact that Harry Potter was right in front of them.
Hermione went back to her parents. "I'll explain what happened in the car. Let's head home."
A/N: That concludes the trio's first year back in time! This story will continue through two more years of Hogwarts, and I have it completely written. I will continue posting chapters on a regular cadence. This story is 48 chapters in total.
If you grow impatient, you can find the complete story on AO3 (The Doe in Snape's Skin is the series title on that site. You would want to pick up on part 2: A Dog, a Wolf, and a Snape.) I do make minor edits both here and on AO3 periodically, but my attention has mostly turned to my WIPs.
Thank you very much for reading up to this point, and thank you for your lovely reviews! They motivate me to keep improving my writing. See you next week for another chapter!