Chapter 11: Professor

The new Snape that entered was relatively plain, wearing nothing too far off from what Gestalt was accustomed to. In fact, out of everyone who had entered, he seemed the most normal over all.

"Grab a nametag," Caretaker said as the new Snape approached.

The new Snape looked at the basket, took one of the nametags inside, and put it on. On it, the word 'Professor' formed.

"Professor," Gestalt repeated. "I see we had the same job."

"More or less," Professor replied.

"So," Half-Breed asked, "what's your story?"

"We're all aware of Gestalt's intended lifepath, yes?"

Everyone nodded.

"I am that."

Princeps furrowed his brow. "Do you mean your life is how Gestalt's was supposed to turn out?"

"More or less," Professor repeated. "Our branches aren't precisely the same before the splitting point (something to do with distortion), but I did manage to defeat Voldemort and the Death Eaters before Lily could come to harm."

"And what then?" Lycan asked.

"Then, I was convinced to work as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor by Dumbledore. He strong-armed me into it."

"I thought we wanted that job," Gestalt said.

"Under better circumstances, yes. I didn't want anyone finding out about my contributions to the war effort, especially not Lily, so I swore Dumbledore to secrecy. In return, I had to work for him."

"... why wouldn't you want Lily to find out?" Panther asked. "Wouldn't defeating Voldemort look good to her?"

"That's the problem," Professor replied. "I didn't want heroism to be a reason for her to like me again. It's such a Gryffindor way of thinking."

Everyone in the room, save for Professor, gave Panther a dirty look.

"What?" Panther asked.

"You know what you did," Heartless said.

"I took the job," Professor went on, "and I didn't have anything to do with Lily again until her children started attending Hogwarts."

"Children?" Gestalt asked.

"Harry and Marlene."

"... only one daughter?" Healer asked.

"Is she supposed to have more?"

"Two. Well, we're supposed to have two daughters."

"Almost all of us," Heartless corrected.

"Alice-Marie?"

Healer nodded.

"Well, I had a daughter with another woman, but I didn't know she existed until a few years later."

"Alice-Marie?" Gestalt asked.

"Isla. She was brought to my door after her mother passed away, so I raised her. Sorted into Ravenclaw a year before Harry started attending."

"Naturally," Healer said with a smile.

"Marlene grew attached to me when she was Sorted into Slytherin. Even hatched a plan to get me with her mother." Professor chuckled to himself. "Rather cunning on her part."

"What about Potter?" Panther asked.

"Divorced after a few years. Apparently, Lily wasn't fond of being lied to about who her husband was."

"I think the same thing happened with Obscurial," Caretaker noted. "Did Potter die young, by any chance?"

"No, he lived for an annoyingly long time." Professor looked over the counter and asked, "May I have a glass of wine?"

Caretaker poured a glass and set it in front of Professor. "So, did you and Lily...?"

"After seven or so painful years, yes. I have the feeling the process was expedited after the Triwizard Tournament fiasco with her son."

"What do you mean?" Gestalt asked. "Did Harry-" He paused as he felt another presence outside and turned.

"What is it?" Professor asked.

"Foresight," Half-Breed explained as he and Princeps turned as well.

The presence remained outside, pausing a moment, before moving neither forward nor back, but to the side. Whoever it was, they were definitely inside, but somewhere else.

"Hmm," Gestalt hummed. "I wonder who that was?"