Changed Future

Summary: Sequel to Rewriting History. A threat against the Potter family lets them inside the Prince Manor, where Severus Mentis lives… along with a guest in the shadows. Slash.

Pairing/s: AbraxasAstus and some couples from the books.

Warnings: Slash, some violence.

Disclaimers: I don't own Harry Potter and I don't make any money writing fanfiction.

-o-

The end of Changed Future, just in time for Christmas! Read and enjoy, and I thank you all for reading my story.

And one reviewer, Bast12, wished to know about Astus and Abraxas and their wedding. You weren't the only one, so I give to you all, a bit extra; a flashback to their wedding.

-o-

Epilogue

Lily had been just sitting and enjoying a book when she heard the Floo come to life, and the unmistakable sound of her sister stumbling out. Petunia had never really gotten used to the Floo, and dreaded taking it. Usually she just begged Severus into Apparating her.

For her to have taken the Floo on her own, it was either really, really good news or the world was ending. Lily desperately hoped for the former.

Petunia came inside and the look of panic and joy was so mixed that Lily didn't know what to say. Her sister didn't seem to know what to say either. She just pointed at herself, mouth opening and closing, and she seemed near fainting.

"Tuney?" Lily said at last. "What's wrong?"

"I'm…" Petunia stopped and took a breath, then failed to continue as she simply screamed and threw her arms around Lily.

James came inside not long after that, wand in hand, faltering when he saw the scene.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" he asked, gesturing at Petunia.

"I don't know, she's not telling me!" Lily replied in a panic.

"I. Am. Pregnant!"

James gaped. Lily gaped. Petunia released Lily and began dancing.

"I'm pregnant!" she said again. "Oh my dear god, I'm pregnant!"

"You…" Lily said. "And Severus…? Does he know?"

"He passed out. I don't think he ever imagined that it would happen. I left him with Lucius. Who cares? I'm pregnant! Oh, the look on his face, Lily, the look on both their faces!"

"He… and you…?" James faltered.

"Oh, you will soon have a little Mentis running around!"

James looked ready to faint as well. Lily laughed wildly with her sister. The thought of getting a nephew, or niece, was staggering and nothing she had ever really expected. She had hoped, yes, but the years hadn't made Petunia any younger, and Lily had never understood why her sister hadn't even tried to find someone. Perhaps Petunia had already found someone, meaning Severus, and not dared to say it.

None of that mattered now. What mattered was that Lily was becoming an aunt, finally, and Petunia had made Severus faint.

"Oh, did you take a picture of him fainting?" Lily suddenly asked.

"No. But Astus helped me keep a copy of that memory, if you wish to see it."

"Oh, yes! Now please!"

James was left in the living room, still looking shocked, and Lily stumbled into Prince Manor in time to see Severus's pale face and wide eyes. Petunia followed and she almost danced over to her husband (Lily imagined both of them still felt giddy about being husband and wife, as neither could avoid blushing when speaking of each other in that sense) and planted a great, big kiss on his lips.

"Are you feeling better now?" she asked sweetly.

"No," Severus said. "I need a drink. Or two. Or perhaps twenty, and tomorrow I will realize it's not a dream and please be ready for me being ridiculous and happy, probably both at the same time."

"Noted, my dear. Now where did Astus go?"

"I'm right here."

Both sisters spun around. Not having aged a day since Lily met him again as an adult, Astus observed them both. His face still as pale but his green eyes more alive than ever.

"She wants to see the memory," Petunia said.

Astus rolled his eyes. "I don't doubt it one second. Severus, you're about to be humiliated, is that alright?"

"I got a feeling I don't really have any say in this," Severus mumbled behind them. "I want a drink."

"Yes, I believe Lucius went home to find, and I quote, "the goddamn strongest liquid in existence" and of course the Malfoys are in possession of it. Greedy little buggers…"

"Who are you calling greedy?"

Astus turned, smiled a bit and said:

"Abraxas love, get dressed. You know how I hate when others get a look on that excellent chest of yours."

The sisters peeked out of the room. Abraxas had already covered himself, and raised an eyebrow at their disappointed looks.

"I am not something to ogle at, you two! Besides, you're married! Both of you! And I'm old enough to be your grandfather!"

"Yet you still look like you could be your son's brother," Lily said. "Astus, what are you doing to him?"

"Oh, you don't want to know…"

"I think she meant with his physical appearance, not what naughty things you might to in your bedroom," Petunia clarified.

Abraxas blushed, and Astus grinned wider.

"My secret to keep," he told them. "This way to the memory. Abraxas, go and get dressed, you look ridiculous wrapped up in a curtain."

"I'm going as soon as there are no ladies present."

"Shy?" Petunia asked.

"No, worried what Astus will do if he sees me half-naked. Evening and night, fine… middle of the day, and you're feistier than usual."

"Enough! I got too many mental pictures in my head!" Lily bemoaned. "Shut up."

Astus led them away to the sound of Abraxas's soft laughter. Lily moaned, clutching her head.

"Think of Petunia's baby. Think of a pretty little baby and not what those two old geezers do at night," she muttered to herself.

"Oi, old geezers?" Astus said. "I'll have you know people think I'm only thirty."

"It's because you're gifted with a pretty face," Petunia said. "Oh, I can't believe I'm pregnant! I want it now!"

"Sorry, love, but I can't turn time for you. However, you're not the only one who wants it now."

"Excited to be a granddad?" she asked.

Astus showed them into one of the smaller living rooms, where a Pensive rested in one of the bookshelves.

"Since it's my first, I suppose. I've never thought of grandkids, Severus seemed so stubborn not seeing anyone. Had I known he was pining for you as much as you pined for him, I would have convinced Narcissa into manipulating you two together a lot earlier."

"Oh please don't remind me of her now. I still haven't recovered from my traumatic incident with her," Petunia said.

"Meaning deciding on the wedding cake, or the dress?" Astus asked as he put the Pensive down on the table, motioning for the sisters to sit down.

"Or the flowers, or the seating, and Severus's clothes, and she came to the point she wanted to decide what the guests should be wearing."

"Put a chocolate truffle in her mouth," he replied. "It always makes her shut up, at least a few minutes until she demands another one."

"I better try that next time… oh god, she's going to want to plan for the baby isn't she?"

"Oh, yes she does. Chocolate truffles, that's all I'm saying. Lots of them."

"Thank you. Lily, will you help me buy them?"

Lily, remembering Narcissa's near obsession even if the woman meant well, quickly nodded.

"Well then, here it is," Astus said as a memory swirled up on top. "Lily my dear; watch and enjoy. It's quite good."

"I believe you."

And then she, and Petunia who wanted to see it with her, leaned over the Pensive.

-o-

Astus stood by one of the windows, almost not daring to move. After all, it had been a while since he held a newborn baby. The baby, with hair as dark as Severus's already, did not seem to care. She, and no one had no doubts that Narcissa would spoil the girl rotten along with the parents, snoozed happily on in his arms.

Had someone told him when he was, say, eleven years old, that he one day would hold Petunia's daughter, who she got with a wizard Harry would have first laughed, and then thought them completely insane. Petunia with a wizard? The woman who hated magic?

And yet here it was. A small girl, brought into the world as Petunia's and Severus's daughter, and wasn't that strange. Astus laughed softly to himself. First he took his hated professor as his own son. Then he helped his aunt, whom he had despised, to love magic and embrace Lily for who she was. And of course he fell in love with a Malfoy, just because he had gotten a first bad impression of Lucius Malfoy in his second year.

Arms carefully moving around his waist, and Astus turned to look at Abraxas. The blond gently stroke one of the girl's cheeks with his finger.

"Have you already stolen your granddaughter?" Abraxas teased.

"You were no better when Draco was born," Astus replied. "We almost had to pry him out of your arms."

"Oh, how could I ever let such a sweet thing go?"

"You have a lot of those don't you? Sweet things I mean."

Abraxas nuzzled his cheek. "And I love every single one of them. Oh, how would life had been if I never met you?"

"First of all, you'd be dead," Astus stated. "And all that this is… would never be. I would be just a miserable man having lost all friends to war and meaningless death."

"That does put a damper to it all," Abraxas commented, but a smile soon found its way onto his way as the little girl in Astus's arms woke and gurgled. "Hello there, beautiful. Whose eyes do you think she'll get?"

"Doesn't matter," Astus said. "She'll be perfect either way, in all ways. She's the ultimate proof that I needed, to know it was right to come back. I'll never forget them, the people from my past, but I'll never try to replace those who lived a second time without knowing me."

"How wise you sound," Abraxas said, mock-stern. "Almost as wise as on our wedding."

"Oh please," he muttered, "I'm glad I managed to speak at all that day."

Astus tugged uncomfortably at his robes and stared at himself in the mirror.

"I didn't sign up for this!" he told the blond man behind him. "I don't do ceremonies! Why didn't you insist on continuing to fool that blasted woman married to your son?!"

"Well, maybe just this once, you can make an exception, love," Abraxas told him, wrapping his arms around Astus's waist. "And you know Narcissa, she'd never be satisfied. Had she believed us despite it all, she would've insisted on a second wedding. You know that."

"Oh dear god, I know." Astus continued to tug and drag at his clothes. Abraxas gently stilled him and continued:

"You look fine so stop fussing."

"Narcissa just had to choose with a high neck. I don't like it."

"You're just nervous. Be glad you're not wearing a dress."

"Hey, why are you assuming I would be wearing the dress?" Astus said hotly.

"Because… well, I don't know, you'd look better in it I guess."

"You haven't seen me in a dress. I have seen you in a dress though, my dear."

"And it wasn't very flattering, was it now?" Abraxas growled. "Stop fussing."

"Why did we agree to this?"

"Because we didn't want to get killed by a mad woman married to my son," Abraxas said, like a rehearsed speech.

"She's really a mad woman sometimes. I mean, wasn't she happy enough planning Severus's and Petunia's wedding?"

"Oh, once she found out we had lied to her about being married, she wouldn't give up. I think this is her revenge on us." Abraxas squeezed him a little and smiled. "I don't really mind though."

Astus smacked him but didn't try to move away.

"Who were you expecting to marry in your original timeline?"

"Really, Abraxas? That's what you want to know on our wedding day?"

"Yes."

Astus looked at him and then lowered his eyes. "I hadn't thought that far, to be honest. My thoughts were more on survival. And once I survived, marriage was the last thing on my mind."

"Oh. Then you came back in time and forgot about it?"

"Yeah, more or less. Being there for Severus was more important."

"Now that you mention him, the ghost Severus Snape… does he know that you're his father this time around?"

Astus smirked, and moved so he could look Abraxas in the eyes.

"You know that shattered vase in your hall, say, around Severus's sixth year?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't tell me what happened?"

"Severus Snape happened. He didn't mean it. Well, I don't think he meant it. And I didn't know that a ghost could actually make something fall, but he managed that. I also didn't think a ghost could actually faint but he did a good job of it. And of course, he shouted a lot after that, and looked ready to vomit. But then he calmed down and saw the good in the situation."

"Which was?"

"He wasn't Severus Snape anymore. When I told him he never knew his real father, he was… well, quite pleased. When he learned you were alive as well, he was happy for Lucius's sake. And of course he didn't mind Voldemort had died early this time around, and wasn't there to murder Lily and James."

"Was he really happy James had survived?"

"Begrudgingly," Astus admitted. "He actually wants updates on them. I keep calling him a stalker and that makes him send McGonagall at me… I never thought I'd fear a ghost, but professor McGonagall is scary, ghost or not."

"Of course she is." Abraxas smiled and gently kissed his temple. "Well, it's soon time. Are you ready?"

"No. I don't do ceremonies. Can't we skip that part and go to the fun bit when we retreat to our room?"

Abraxas rubbed his shoulders. "We have to indulge Narcissa, or she will never let us get to that room of ours. That room which will for the next week be somewhere else but in the Prince Manor or Malfoy manor."

"What have you planned now?" Astus asked.

"That, my dearest love, is a secret."

They both came back to themselves when Severus spun them around.

"No daydreaming when you're holding my child," the man said.

"We weren't daydreaming," Abraxas protested.

"Be honest, we were," Astus replied. "But she's fine. Look, she's even staring at us as if we're mad. We're the mad grandparents and she is only a day old."

"And that makes you proud?" the blond said, raising an eyebrow.

"Abraxas, dad was proud when he was called crazy dad," Severus said and took his daughter, holding her close to his chest. "He'll be ecstatic if he becomes that crazy grandparent that all grandchildren adore."

"If it's to any consolation, Draco calls you 'wicked, crazy uncle-person who's completely and utterly mad' but he usually shortens it to 'crazy man'," Abraxas said.

Astus grinned, then laughed and dragged them both close, being careful as to not harm the fragile child in Severus's arms.

He had started his life happy, but having no memory of that happiness. Then he had spent ten years believing he was nothing, only to find out he was hope to a world of wizards and witches, a hero that had destroyed a Dark Lord. He hadn't remembered it the first time around. He had remembered all too clearly the second time.

Then he had made a choice, turning back time until he could change his own history, and also the history of those around him. He had defeated the same Dark Lord a third time, only now understanding the man and promising him that when they met again, he wouldn't be left alone. Astus knew it might be some time before he met Voldemort again, but he intended to hold that promise. It was painful to be alone.

He looked at the two men encased in his arms. Two unlikely people who he now loved more than his own parents. Astus pressed Severus closer and placed a tender kiss on his son's forehead, then moved to give Abraxas's lips a quick kiss.

"What was that for?" Severus asked.

"It's just a happy time," Astus replied. "It's so alright… this time."

He had changed the future, and he didn't regret it for one single moment.

End


This concludes the end of Changed Future, and I hope you all have been enjoying my story!

Until next time,

Tiro