Updated PartTitle: Choices Not Made (working title)
Author: yiota
Author Email: yiota2@hotmail.com
Pairings: HP-SS
Rating: R
Summary: Harry and Professor Snape find themselves mysteriously transported to an impossible future. Will they find a way back or will they learn to live in this strange future.
Notes: beta-ed by my husband Nick; currently available only at various yahoogroups and at http://yiota.home.comcast.net
Chapter 1:
Harry Potter was positive that this was the longest summer in the history of mankind. It was also his very last summer with the Dursley's. At the end of it he would never have to see them again. Not that they were bothering him this summer. To tell you the truth, they hadn't even acknowledged his existence. Well, they stepped out of the way if he was walking down the hall in the opposite direction, and moved over if he sat on the couch next to one of them. They also made sure that there was an extra plate of food at meals for him. But not one word had been uttered in his direction. He had done chores; not because he was asked but because he had finished his school work and didn't have anything else to do.
Harry was positive that the reason that they were ignoring him more than usual was because he would be Seventeen tomorrow and would be allowed to do magic outside of school. They didn't want him to have a single reason to curse them. Though he considered their treatment of him for the fifteen years that he had lived with them to be reason enough to curse them. But he wouldn't do that.
The one thing that bugged him was that he didn't entirely understand why he was even at the Dursley's at all this summer. Voldemort was dead. Harry wasn't sure why he was dead but he was. Snape had said it was because he had the dumbest luck. In the final battle Harry had attempted to cast -- Avadra Kedavra on Voldemort a spell he had never managed to successfully accomplish and which had never worked on Voldemort before -- but it had worked. Alright, so it didn't in any way resemble the spell as he knew it. The spell looked like white lightning rather than the green flash it normally was, so he was almost positive that it wasn't actually the killing curse that he cast. Well anyway, Voldemort was now dead and the world was much happier for it.
Another thing was that most of the Death Eater's had died in the battle, not that he had anything to do with that. After Voldemort died Snape ran up to him and apparated the two of them out of the battle. He then proceeded to berate Harry for being the luckiest idiot he had ever had the misfortune of knowing. Harry had thought that defeating Voldemort would earn him some respect on Snape's part but instead the man seemed even more irritated with him.
So that was that, he could finally get along with his life and maybe find a girlfriend. So far his only relationships had been with Cho and with Hermione. Given his success with dating, though, he might want to reconsider it all together. He and Hermione had broken up shortly before Voldemort's death, as their relationship had become a nightmare.
You see, Harry had waited for Ron to ask Hermione out, but he never did anything. Harry, figuring that maybe Ron wasn't really interested in Hermione after all, took the initiative. She was a good friend and would probably make a good girlfriend, or so the logic went. It had not worked out. In two months the two had pretty much come to hate each other and Ron was furious with the both of them. So they broke up. The three of them still hadn't recovered by the time Voldemort attacked Hogsmeade. But after the battle they realized how close they had come to loosing each other and soon they were as close as ever.
Things had changed drastically at Hogwarts after the battle. Dumbledore looked more tired than ever, and a week later died in his sleep the morning after the celebration ball. Professor McGonagall accepted the role of Headmistress and Professor Snape became the assistant Headmaster. McGonagall's son, Matthew, became the new Transfiguration professor and head of Gryffindor.
Harry wasn't a big fan of the new Professor McGonagall. That man, who was in school with his father and had played Quidditch with him, insisted on calling Harry "Little James" -- a name that Draco Malfoy adored. Truthfully, he reminded Harry somewhat of Professor Lockheart since he had the same sort of manner of speaking and the same "chummy" reactions towards Harry.
Matthew McGonagall also decided to recount the story of "Snivellus's underpants" to his classes. Harry might not have liked Snape, but it somehow made Harry furious with the new Professor. The new Headmistress had been even less pleased than Harry and everyone within three floors heard her reaction when she found out. According to Hermione it was the only time in Hogwarts history that the Headmistress sent a Professor a howler. It was announced that anyone retelling the story or using Snape's nickname would loose a hundred points each. Harry convinced Hermione and Ron, as prefects, to enforce the law.
As exciting as it had been, the year had come to a rather unexciting close. Harry and Ron were looking forward to Harry spending the entire summer at the Weasleys but had been disappointed when the Headmistress and the Weasleys said that he couldn't go. He supposed that it had something to do with the remaining Death Eaters but didn't think they were that much of a threat.
So here he was at the Dursley's lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling waiting for his Seventeenth birthday. Harry was getting bored of the ceiling so he rolled out of bed and grabbed some parchment and ink. He needed to write to Remus -- he hadn't written in a couple of days and needed to make sure that the Werewolf wouldn't be worried. Harry had thought that maybe he could avoid writing to Remus and then he would show up and take him away, but McGonagall had volunteered to make sure he was ok if he didn't write. Harry hadn't been pleased.
Harry wrote that he was ok and looking forward to next Friday. Remus was planning to take him from the Dursley's to Diagon Alley and then to Grimmauld Place where he would stay for the rest of the summer under the care of various Order members and the Weasleys who offered to stay so they could see him. Harry was thrilled about this.
When he was done with his note he looked out of the window and noticed several owls heading in his direction. He quickly opened the window and put out a dish of water for them. They flew in the window and lined up on Hedwig's perch with their package-bound feet held out for him to untie. They hooted in unison. He laughed, he knew this was Hedwig's idea. She was a brilliant bird and liked to do nice things for his birthday. This year before heading back to the Dursley's he had bought her a large perch, which she was immensely proud of.
There were six owls with nine presents... this was by far the most presents he had ever received. There was one each from Ron, Hermione, the Weasley's, Ginny, Remus, Luna, Tonks, Fred and George, and Hagrid.
Ron had sent a ticket to the next World Cup along with an invitation to go with him. Harry guessed that he got the money from working under his brothers, so it was awfully nice of him.
Hermione sent a collection of artist renderings of the final battle from various countries saying that they were all done by famous wizard artists and that he should show his children when he had them.
The Weasley's sent him a birthday cake, card, and fudge.
Ginny sent him a potion saying that it would make him hard to recognize. She said the potion would be good for going out in public. She had developed an interest in potions recently much to Ron and the Twins' horror.
Remus sent him the deed to his parent's land, he said he had access to it now that he was of age and that he would take him to see it if he wanted.
Luna sent him an amulet that the merchant said is supposed to ward off Dark Lords, he put it on -- the only trace of magic he could find on it was that he couldn't feel it once it was on.
Tonks sent him his own biography along with a charm to alter his appearance, saying it had been a present from someone who obviously didn't know her that well. The twins sent him some experimental candies and told him to leave a couple for his cousin.
Hagrid sent him some rock cakes along with a book on Owl Breeding which caused him to look at Hedwig and Tonks' owl with some caution.
Harry was happy with his birthday and especially looked forward to his next birthday when he could celebrate it with his friends. With those thoughts in mind he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.
Chapter 2:
It was the next morning, and Harry supposed that it had happened to many a Witch, Wizard or Muggle after a night of drunken revelry. But as Harry had never had such a night it was quite a shock. When Harry woke up he had absolutely no idea as to where he was. He might have been more concerned had his surrounding been sparser and more closely resembled a cell. But instead he was in a lushly furnished bedroom.
Above him was a midnight blue velvet canopy with silver and gold stars that twinkled nicely. The thick cover was also midnight blue, but with only silver decorating it. There were glasses on the bedstand, they didn't look like his as they were very nice but when he put them on, they had his prescription. The bedstand was very nice as well, very dark wood. Deciding that he was in no immediate danger he got up and started looking around.
The room was rather large for a bedroom. Certainly bigger than any bedroom he had ever been in. It had a nice soft patterned rug and high beamed ceilings. It had six windows lining the wall opposite the bed and three doors. One of the doors was open and led to a clothing closet the size of the bedroom he fell asleep in. It was next to another door that looked like it might be the bathroom as there was another door in the closet leading to it. The other door was on the opposite side from the closet. The windows looked down upon a garden with woods in the distance. He didn't have any trouble opening the windows and he supposed he could have crawled out, but he was only in pants and it was very high up with a very thin ledge.
There was a writing desk in front of the windows. It had several inks and quills lined up on it. It also had 4 bells on it and a whistle. Harry wondered what they were for. There was also a letter sitting on the desk, he wondered whether he should open it but decided against it.
He decided to try the door leading from the bedroom, he hadn't wanted to try it just in case there was a guard sitting outside of it, but as he couldn't find another way out. Just as his hand touched the doorknob he heard a cough behind him.
Turning around he saw Snape exiting the bathroom and watching him.
"Professor Snape, where are we?" Harry walked over to his Professor, when he got closer he noticed that the man looked different than the last time he saw him, older.
"I have not as yet figured that out." He gave Harry a cursory look, "You should get dressed. There should be some clothes in the closet that fit you." The older man started walking towards the desk.
When Harry walked into the closet he noticed a mirror, he was rather surprised by what he saw. Snape wasn't the only one who looked older. He did as well. He looked like he was in his twenties, maybe even thirty. He didn't have his wand on him to check for aging spells or glamours. Admittedly he didn't look bad for his age -- he hadn't gained much weight, just filled out so he didn't look as boyish, but he was also still rather short. He looked through the clothes and was rather disappointed to realize that they were all robes, not one pair of slacks in the lot. He threw on the first one that looked like it would fit him and walked back in to the bedroom.
Snape was examining the letter he had noticed earlier.
"What does it say? Is it for us?" Harry asked hoping that it might give some clue as to their situation.
Snape frowned. "It's supposedly from you to Miss Granger. You're back early from vacation because you came down with something. Supposedly I "whipped something up" for you yesterday." Snape looked at a picture in his hand. "Here's the picture you are sending her of the vacation."
Harry took the picture; in it he and Snape standing on a beach. They were smiling and waiving at the camera, something he had never seen, Snape smiling. "I've never been to the beach." Harry commented wistfully, he looked happy in the picture even though he was with Snape.
"It's on the French Riviera." Snape commented.
"I've never been to France either." Harry responded.
Snape didn't comment but instead handed him a wand. It didn't look like his but it felt like a wand should when he held onto it. "This isn't mine, but it feels like it's mine."
Snape pulled a wand out of his robe and balanced it in his hand before making some experimental swishes. "This isn't my wand either but they do work and we can defend ourselves if needed."
"Are we in danger?" Harry asked.
"I'm not sure, but I would assume so" Snape looked rather frustrated.
"Have we been enchanted? Where and when are we? I look a lot older than I did when I went to bed." Harry questioned.
"I don't recognize the room, but the bed, desk, and wardrobe are mine, so are the curtains. I did several tests on myself along with the furniture to test for potions, enchantments and glamours. However the only thing that I could find out is that I, supposedly you as well and the furniture are about 10 years older than we were. I'll have to see if I can make my way to Hogwarts or a University to find out more, I never found the time to gain knowledge in this field of study." Snape put the letter away. "What is the last thing that you remember?"
"It was my Seventeenth birthday." Harry said morosely, hoping that his friends were ok.
"What date is that? The last date I remember is the 30th of July, it would be the 31st today." Snape commented.
"The early morning of the 31st." Harry frowned as he realized something. "Why are we both here? Why was I sleeping in your bed?"
"We are married." Snape answered.
"What?" Harry wasn't sure that he liked men, he had never really given the matter any thought. He was on the other hand positive that he didn't like Snape, especially like that.
"The pendant you are wearing has marriage spells on it." Snape pulled a matching one out of the top of his robe.
Harry had noticed the pendant but hadn't thought of it as he had put on Luna's amulet last night. They didn't look all that much different and he couldn't feel this one either. "Luna sent me an amulet for my birthday it looks somewhat similar to this one. Do you think that could have sent us into the future?"
"Doubtful, there are quite possibly a million explanations as to what happened, but an amulet or pendant is unlikely one of them." Snape frowned and looked towards the door.
Someone on the other side of it knocked.