Author's note: Hiiiiii! The hole chapter is here.
1980
Severus Snape's head swirled, whether from the chatter inside the pub, the force with which Aberforth had dragged him out, or the information he had just heard. He could still hear the strangled voice of the woman with large glasses.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."
A shiver ran down his spine as he imagined Lily with a child in her arms. Could this be true? Could it be her son with Potter who would defeat the Dark Lord?
As the thought of James Potter sharing a life and a child with Lily crossed his mind, he felt disgust, anger, rage, and every other nasty emotion ever felt on earth. These feelings only worsened when the bartender threw him outside the pub door. He fell face-first into the snow-covered ground of Hogsmeade, winter having reached its peak.
When he lifted his head, he saw a pair of leather boots in front of him. By their size, they appeared feminine. Fearing for his life, Severus threw his body backward to avoid any attack. As he tried to get away, he looked at the figure in front of him, barely distinguishing her face in the dark street, her cape helping to hide her features. His back hit a wall, and he felt a sharp pain in his head. With wide eyes, he pointed his wand at her, but she was ready to disarm him before his arm shot up.
The woman didn't need to say the spell for his wand to jump out of his hands and into hers. As the wand landed in her palm, she took a slow step forward. He could feel his heart in his throat. What a pathetic way to die. Maybe he should have let those bullies finish him in school. But as his mind raced, the woman stretched out her hand.
They stood like that for what felt like ages, neither daring to breathe. Finally, she uncovered her face in a slow, deliberate movement. As the material fell over her shoulders, it revealed familiar dark blond hair and green eyes. Confused, Snape searched his mind for the face of Lily's aunt, Trish. Even though this woman looked so much like her, she was much younger. But too old to be Ella. Who could this be? Ella's mother was not a witch, so there was no way she could have rejuvenated like this.
"Are you going to grab my hand or not? I don't have forever, and my arm is beginning to ache," she said with a scowl.
Reluctantly, Severus accepted the help. He got to his feet, trying to figure out who she was. His face must have looked completely confused and astonished because the woman's scowl turned to mirth.
"If you want to know who I am, we'll have to take a walk. Farther from the pub, I'll answer your questions," the woman said, indicating the direction with her left arm.
Still looking at her with doubt, he took a hesitant step in the indicated direction. She walked side by side with him. "Could you, please, give me my wand back?" Though the words were polite, they were said with disdain and spite by the potions master.
She laughed softly, making him even more nervous. "No. I'll give it back after you've listened to me." Though her words were sharp, they were said with gentleness, sweetness, and a small smile.
They walked another block in silence, the cold biting their faces. Severus watched her body language, expecting an attack. Did she know of his intention to take the information to Voldemort?
Severus couldn't notice, but she watched him as well through her peripheral vision. She turned a corner, leading them into a pretty empty and even darker street that led to the Shrieking Shack. She slowed her pace, making him slow his by consequence, until she stopped in front of the fence surrounding the old house.
They stood in silence for a while as she watched the house. Tired of the wait and anxious about the situation, Severus commanded, "Tell me who you are."
She breathed in through her nose, her lips forming a thin line.
"I can't wait to break this arrogance of yours in school," she retorted. "It's me, Ella."
The woman waited for his reaction, looking at his face. He stared at her with horror.
It couldn't be. How was this possible? Severus tried to recall every article and study he had read on time travel.
"How old are you?" was all he could think to ask.
"That's not very gentlemanly," she retorted, laughing humorlessly. "Twenty-five."
"In fifteen years, we'll be able to travel through time?" he asked, impressed.
"No," Ella said shortly, shaking her head. "At least, we weren't meant to," she added.
Her words made even less sense now. He looked at the ground, trying to make sense of the little information she had given him.
While Severus battled his internal conflicts, Ella struggled with the words and the courage to tell him everything. She took a deep breath before saying:
"I'm sorry if I sound too secretive. The last couple of months... years have been a turmoil. I'm pretty tired," she started.
Snape analyzed her face again, now noticing the deep bluish circles under her eyes. The woman didn't look old, but she looked lifeless. Her skin had a pale yellow tone, and her eyes didn't have the twinkle and mirth he used to see in the younger version of her. He turned his eyes to the house.
"Why would I care?" he asked.
Ella laughed humorlessly again. Her behavior seemed habitual rather than genuinely humorous. And when she did, it was even easier to see how fragile she seemed.
"Because you do. I'm sorry again; it's pretty easy to forget that you are not the person who taught me for nearly a decade. You are my friend, even though you refuse to admit it. Besides, you helped me come back," she said, looking at him. He returned the look, and they stared at each other. "That piqued your interest, didn't it? I know feigning disinterest is one of your tactics to gather information," her eyes turned back to the house while she opened a winning smile.
"What do you want from me?" he asked, becoming defensive.
"Is this all you Slytherins can say? You know, Regulus said the exact same thing," Ella said, fed up.
"Regulus? What do you know about him?" Severus asked worriedly.
Though he disagreed with the younger Black's actions, he was smart and loyal enough to be one of the few people who didn't bully him and also had more to discuss than just the dark arts and torturing Muggle-borns. Severus knew Regulus had an advantage over Voldemort; he just didn't know what yet.
Regulus had faked his death, and even though it took only a few months for the Dark Lord to figure it out, the time was enough for the younger Black to run away and not be found. No matter how hard they tried, every clue left behind sent the Death Eaters to the wrong place. Severus himself didn't know where Regulus was now, obviously a way to prevent the Dark Lord from discovering it through Legilimency. Not that he could do that on him, anyway. He was much too proficient in Occlumency. But it was better to be safe.
"I know that he was alive until 1979. And, aside from an update on his current state of survival, there is nothing else I need to know," she said, looking back at him.
"Last time I spoke to him, he was alive. I haven't talked to him in over a year," he informed.
Ella nodded. He must be on the run, she thought.
"Great. Okay, so I've been thinking all along about how to inform you of everything. But you helped yourself with some memories to watch," she said, taking a vial out of her pocket and showing him. "With this in mind, I'll tell you only the important parts. That is, important to you," she took a deep breath. "If you tell any of what you heard to Voldemort, Lily will die."
Severus stared at her, his face turning from surprise to indignation.
"No, he won't. I am his most loyal and effective servant. If I ask him, he will spare her," he nearly shouted.
"Really? And you really think that Lily, the same Lily we know, would stand by and watch that noseless son of a bitch kill her son and her husband? Is that what you're telling me?" Ella asked, losing what was left of her patience. Though she was a little scared of messing things up with this younger, and much more immature, version of her friend, she couldn't help but act the way she always did. Ella thought that, aside from being Lily's cousin and knowing him for a long time, her boldness was what made him open up to her.
Severus looked at her for a moment, his calm breath beginning to quicken as he realized the truth and anxiety set in. His chest rose and fell rapidly. Ella grabbed him by the shoulders. "Breathe, Severus. Nothing has happened yet. You can't panic right now," she urged.
"You don't understand. There was someone else there. Rosier must be telling him everything right now," he said loudly, grabbing her shoulder and shaking it.
"Fuck," was all she said. She remained thoughtful for a moment, then started pacing, leaving marks in the snow. Meanwhile, Severus despaired. The only chance of saving Lily had slipped through his fingers because of this woman. His hands pulled at his hair as he thought of other ways to save her.
"That would have happened anyway. Actually, it's best if it does. This way, we'll always be one step ahead of him. Here's how you're going to proceed: After this, you'll go and watch the memories. You left yourself some tips and coordinates to make things easier. I thought that coming sooner would spare you from working with Dumbledore, but that must be one of the unchangeable things. You'll submit to him, become a double agent, and take the potions position," Severus winced at this.
"I know you hate it, but there's nothing we can do. We just tried. It didn't work," she continued. "You'll do these things only after you go talk to Voldemort. Tell him you didn't go straight away because you were attacked by someone from the Ministry or the Order. Something like that. You had to dispose of the body so no one would suspect. Wait two or three days to talk to Dumbledore," the words tumbled from her mouth like a waterfall, and Severus had a little trouble keeping up.
"Do you really think he'll believe this? He might think I betrayed him and went straight to Dumbledore. And it'll be even more reinforced when I take the position," Snape questioned.
"Of course not. Lily and James probably won't be hiding next week. Suggest that you be the spy and bring him some information if needed," Ella crouched as she said the last part.
Now, Ella was crouched, looking at him. He looked back into her eyes, hands rubbing against each other, mouth agape to speak. If he went on with this plan, he could die—and lose even more than he already had. But this was Lily we were talking about. She was worth it. He turned his head to the snow, running her plan through his mind. She was a good strategist, he'd give her that.
Seeing his reluctance, Ella breathed in and put a hand on his forearm. He looked back at her. "Listen, I know you don't trust people. It took me a long time to win it back. And I won't deny that I have my own interests in seeing things work out for the better. But I can assure you, with confidence, that you don't want to live the life you did before. And you'll see why in your own memories," she said.
"You let go of everything you wanted and were because of the guilt you felt when Lily died. And I know that right now you're mostly driven by anger and disdain for James and Sirius. But if you go on with the plan you had, there will be no fixing it. The only chance we have to fix it is right now. It's the only and last one, Severus. And that's the only reason you helped me with this reckless plan," she continued.
He was still absorbing the information when she went on. "Please, don't waste your life away like that again," she said, her hand leaving his arm as she got up. Severus felt too overwhelmed to do anything but observe. He held the bottle of memories as if his life depended on it.
"My time here is over. Don't screw this up, Severus. There's someone who loves you dearly, waiting to be loved back," she said, turning the time-turner several times and disappearing, waving goodbye.
Author's note: See you soon! Leave your thought bellow.