DISCLAIMER: I do not own HARRY POTTER.
CHAPTER 1: THE SLYTHERIN BOY
Severus Snape, current Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been living a life of a spy and double-agent, serving two masters for the last twenty years. He mastered Occlumency and Legillimency; he was also a good actor and observer. Therefore, he was aware of another human presence in his office in the dungeons.
Who could be spying him? Perhaps, it was Potter, hiding under the Invisibility Cloak? The boy was the only student who was in possession of the most powerful cloak in history. Severus raised his wand, pointed it at the door and muttered: "Homenum Revelio!"
To his astonishment, it wasn't Potter under the Invisibility Cloak, but an unfamiliar figure of a boy, looking at him frightened. He was shivering and his eyes are full of fear. Severus rose from his seat and gracefully approached the boy with his usual scowl.
"Who are you?" he barked.
The boy did not answer. Severus took more steps to take a good look at the boy. He looked like around eleven or twelve years old, with raven-black curtain of hair hanging just above his shoulders. He had brown eyes, emphasized nose and pale skin. His body was lean; he was tall for his age. If not for his face, Severus might think that the boy was around fourteen. But what intrigued him the most was the school robe the boy was wearing: Hogwarts uniform with Slytherin colours and logo. Severus knew every face of his Slytherins and surely, the boy in front of him was not one of his students.
"Cat got your tongue, boy? Don't make me force you to speak. Either I shall use Legillimency, or Veritaserum; just choose."
The boy was still looking at him with fear under the cloak, his body was shaking and he was clutching something inside his pocket. Then, he fainted and before his head reached the floor, Severus already caught him in his arms.
Cursing under his breath, he removed the Invisibility Cloak from the child's body and tossed in on the floor, carried him and rushed to the hospital wing. "Poppy!" he called as he entered the room.
Poppy Pomfrey stood behind her desk near the main door of the hospital. "Severus? Is that a student?"
"No. It's an elf," he answered sarcastically and laid the boy on the nearest empty bed. "Of course, he's a student!"
"What has happened?" the Hogwarts matron asked.
"I caught him inside my office, hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. When I questioned him, he did not say anything. He started shaking—out of fear— he fainted and don't look at me like that, Poppy," he scowled at the witch.
"Oh dear," Poppy muttered and observed the boy. "He is in your House. What's his name?"
Severus looked at the witch blankly. "I do not recognize him," he admitted.
"You're impossible, Severus Snape!" Poppy exclaimed.
"Impossible, but I'm telling the truth, Poppy," he said solemnly.
Poppy was about to say something, but the boy on the bed suddenly moved to sit up. He looked around and saw the two adults by his bed side. Fear was evident on his face once more.
"Oh, dear, you're awake!" Poppy said gently to the boy. "How are you feeling?"
"F-fine," he answered but looking at Severus, not at the witch.
Severus frowned. "State your name, boy!"
"Good gracious, Severus! You're scaring the boy!" Poppy scolded. Then she turned to the boy. "Dear, obviously, you are from Slytherin. Professor Snape here, your Head of House, does not recognize you. Please tell us your name?"
The boy shook his head and avoided eye contact. He looked down on his lap and laced his fingers nervously.
"Dear, it's all right," Poppy said with assurance. "You're safe in Hogwarts. No one can harm you here. No need to be nervous or scared."
The boy did not look up. His curtain of hair hid his face.
"You won't be punished for wandering after curfew, if that's what you're worried about," Poppy said gently.
Severus's eyes widened and glared at the matron. "Poppy!"
"Severus, now is not the time to scare the boy."
He scowled. This boy is testing his patience. "What were you doing inside my office, boy?" he asked coldly. "How did you break my wards?"
The boy shook his head.
"Can you even talk?" he scowled.
"Severus Snape! You are not helping," Poppy said with impatience. Then, she turned to the boy, her expression softened. "All right, I'll let you rest and relax tonight, dear. But don't even try to escape and we will speak in the morning. You will tell us what we want to know."
"S-Savelius Granger," the boy answered nervously.
Severus and Poppy glanced at each other. Both were surprised when the boy spoke for the very first time.
"There is only one Granger student in this school, and she's in fifth year. The Sorting happened last night and there's no Granger sorted in my House," he said firmly.
Silence. The boy couldn't answer. He was looking down again and found his fingernails interesting.
"Boy, tell us the truth now, or I will be forced to enter your mind!" he warned.
He shook his head and turned to Poppy. "Please... Not Legillimency. No... Please," he pleaded to the matron.
Poppy approached the boy in a motherly manner. "Oh, poor boy! Professor Snape won't do that. But you have to tell us the truth."
"I'm telling you the truth. My name is Savelius Granger. And I'm a Slytherin first year..."
"You left me no choice, boy!" Severus scowled. "I'm going to call the headmaster."
"No, please!" the boy pleaded.
Severus gazed at the boy intently. He was pleading and looked scared. For a moment, Severus was tempted to look at the boy's thoughts, but it might scare him to death. He could not do that to an eleven-year-old.
"No one can know... No one. Please..."
"Then tell us," Severus said sternly. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The boy looked down to his lap. "I'm Savelius Granger. First year, Slytherin... But I'm not from this time," the boy said quietly.
Severus and Poppy exchanged looks. Both of them are confused. "What do you mean you're 'not from this time'?" he demanded.
The boy shook his head, not meeting the eyes of the two adults in front of him.
"Severus, be gentle with the boy," Poppy pleaded.
"I demand an explanation," he said firmly.
"I can't tell you more... I can't," the boy said, almost whispering.
"Dear, we'll promise to keep your secrets and let you return home. Just don't confuse us. We won't be able to help you of we can't get right and honest answers," Poppy explained.
Instead of answering, the Granger boy turned out his pocket and showed them a Time-Turner. "I'm from the future, year 2010 to be exact."
"Rubbish," he barked.
"Dear, could you explain that, please?" Poppy said to the boy.
The Granger boy looked up to meet their eyes. "In my time, Professor McGonagall is the Headmistress; you, Madam Pomfrey, have retired and your post is taken by Madam Abbott and my godfather is the Potions Master. I have been using the Time-Turner to see my father. I never got the chance to meet him. He left my mother before I was born. I don't want to get caught… This is just my third time and I haven't been caught before. Just tonight," he explained hesitantly.
"Who are your parents?" Severus asked, his eyebrows rose. He ignored Poppy's shocked face.
He shook his head. "Just please, allow me to return to my timeline... I don't mean to cause harm or to change anything. I just came to see my father. I don't intend to speak with him; just look at him from afar..."
"Very well," Severus conceded. "Return to your time and do not ever come back!"
The boy nodded. "I left the Invisibility Cloak in your office, Professor Sn-Snape," he said nervously.
"I'll get it for you," he said.
He walked away to return to his office. On his way, Severus couldn't help himself from thinking of the boy from the future. His face was so familiar... His raven-black hair, lean body... And his brown eyes.
Savelius Granger. Could he be related to Hermione Granger? Perhaps, Granger has a brother, a Muggle? Savelius may be her nephew and inherited her magical abilities...
After fifteen minutes, Severus is once again, in the hospital wing, holding the Invisibility Cloak. He was about to give it to the boy when he saw Poppy an the Granger boy looking gloomy and worried.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Oh, Severus! The poor boy cannot return to his time!" Poppy explained sadly.
"What do you mean?" he asked them.
"I can't. The Time-Turner won't work... I did not notice that I brought a different Time-Turner tonight," he admitted. "I'm stuck here." The boy looks like he wanted to cry and feeling helpless.
"Explain," he said calmly. He didn't want to scare the boy this time. He wanted him to speak up.
The boy looked up to him and Poppy. "In my time, there are advanced Time-Turners. It can bring us back to a maximum of twenty years and we can return to our timeline anytime we like. It's the kind of Time-Turner I have been using. I have been here twice, to see my father and I went back to my timeline without any trouble. But this time, I was too close to someone, enough for my presence to be noticed. Now, I can't also go back because my godfather replaced the Time-Turner with a more advanced one," he explained gloomily.
"This Time-Turner," he said and raised the device for them to see, "has its timer. You can't go back at your own will. You have to consume the time set."
"Why didn't you notice immediately that you brought a different one?" he asked.
"You have to look very closely to see the difference. The numbers on the hourglass are very tiny," he explained. Then, his fists clenched. Severus could tell that he was angry. "He's really done it this time!" he yelled and started to sob.
"Dear, who are you talking about?" Poppy asked calmly.
"That meddling and controlling godfather of mine. He also set the time. He wanted me to know my father," he said reluctantly.
"How long do you have to stay here?" he asked.
"Two thousand and four hundred hours... One hundred days," he answered.
Poppy gasped in shock.
"That's very long. You said that you're here for your father. Who are your parents?" Sverus asked.
"I don't want to do it. I'm completely against the idea of getting to know my father because it might change my life when I come back to my original timeline..."
"But what are you planning to do? You'll have to stay for one hundred days!" Poppy said.
The boy shook his head.
"Who are your parents, dear? They might help you during your stay," Poppy suggested.
The boy stared at the matron and sighed heavily. "My mother is the fifth year that you mentioned, Hermione Granger," he said carefully.
Severus scoffed. "The Gryffindor know-it-all. But you said that you are here for your father. Who is he? Weasley? No, you don't have his red hair and freckles… Perhaps, Potter?"
The boy shook his head to him, then looked down to his lap. He said something Severus did not hear.
"Pardon me?" he asked.
"You wouldn't want to know," he said quietly.
"If Granger is your mother, then why aren't you using your father's name? Ah, your parents aren't married." He chuckled sarcastically. "That insufferable know-it-all got herself pregnant by some wizard."
The boy met his gaze and scowled. "You have no right to insult my mother! Besides, it's not entirely her fault!" he said angrily.
Severus raised his eyebrows. "And why is that?" he asked coolly.
He did not answer. He looked away, frowning and muttering something.
"What's that, you're saying?" he challenged.
The boy stared at him indignantly. "I said, how unfortunate of me… for my father was you, Professor Severus Snape!"