A Journey to the Past by Firestar
Summary: Harry must go to the past in order to save his parents and his own lives... But what will happen? Will he get out of this mess alive?
Categories: Parental Snape > Biological Father Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Draco, James, Lily, Lucius, Remus, Sirius, Wormtail
Snape Flavour: None
Genres: General
Media Type: None
Tags: None
Takes Place: 5th summer
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 31 Completed: No Word count: 50986 Read: 77400 Published: 31 Jan 2005 Updated: 31 Jan 2005
Unexpected Lessons by Firestar
Author's Notes:
~........~ means whatever said is spoken in Parseltongue.

Harry and Hermione sat in the library, intently discussing the Potions material they would teach. Ron just stood there, listening.

Hermione had been thrilled when Harry had told her about Dumbledore's offer. "We'll have teaching experience!" She had exclaimed happily.

Fortunately, it was house-by-house lessons that afternoon, which meant that Gryffindor and Slytherin had Potions one after another. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had Defence Against the Dark Arts that afternoon and Potions the next day.

The biggest problem was the Slytherin house. Harry doubted Draco Malfoy would listen to him at all. At least, it wasn't a Gryffindor- Slytherin double Potion period. Harry smirked when he remembered that he had the privilege to take off house points.

As the bell went for the afternoon lessons to begin, Harry and Hermione both swept into the Potions dungeon.

The room was full of chattering Slytherins, dressed in green and black. Malfoy stopped dead when he saw them. "So," he began when he recovered from his surprise. "What's Potter and Mudblood doing here today?"

Harry was the one who replied. "Twenty points from Slytherin for insulting Professor Granger. We're Professor Snape's subsitutes for today."

The look on Malfoy's face was priceless; Harry wished he had a camera. Whispers broke out and Pansy Parkinson called out, "Where's Professor Snape? And how come /you're/ the sub?"

Harry had told Hermione that Severus was sick, but to the Slytherins, he replied, "I'm afraid that that does not concern you, Ms. Parkinson. I assure you that he will be back soon." He chose to ignore the second question.

Hermione began to speak. "Today, we will be learning the Cansora Potion. It is a potion used to cure different types of cancer. Professor Potter will write up the instuctions on the board."

Harry walked over and began to explain as he wrote. "The Cansora Potion is quite complicated. Unlike most potions, this one also includes a spell. You must cast the Cansiara Charm on the Potion after you add the ingrediants."

"What's the Cansiara Charm?" Malfoy demanded rudely.

Harry chose to ignore the tone and replied, "It is a charm used on many types of Healing Potions. The incantation is 'Cansiara.'"

For the first five minutes, everything was suspiciously quiet. Harry had expected Malfoy to be the first one to cause trouble, but to his surprise, he was wrong. In face, Malfoy didn't cause any trouble at all. Many others did though.

Percisely ten minutes into he lesson, Pansy Parkinson gave a sharp cough. At the signal, hands shop up in the classroom, and many dozen people called out, "Professors, I don't know how to do this!" or "I don't know the charm!"

Harry gritted his teeth; he knew that they were doing this on purpose. Well, he would not fail... A part of his brain, however, noted that Malfoy was not calling out. The Slytherin just sat quietly at his table, working silently. As Draco looked up, Harry caught the boy's grey- blue eyes. To his surprise, they were filled with... a look of intense loneliness and longing. The boy looked away when he caught Harry staring at him. The look was gone as suddenly as it was there; the face was once more masked with the usual look of arrogance.

Harry frowned; what was going on here? Before he had a chance to ponder on this, Parkingson called out, "Show us the charm, /Professors!/" The mocking tone cut into Harry's heart, but he did not let the pain show. No, he would NOT let a Slytherin ruin his day.

Hermione looked at Harry, a frantic look in her eyes. Harry knew that he had to do something; It was obvious that Hermione did you know the charm, and from the look she was giving him, she thought that he didn't know either.

"Okay, everyone," Harry called out with forced calmness. "Watch this carefully." He walked over to Malfoy's table. "I'll demonstrate on Mr. Malfoy's potion." Giving his wand a quick flick, he cried out, "Cansiara!"

A jet of light shot towards the bubbling potion. As it contacted, the stram of light changed into a blue flash. A golden glow formed around the cauldorn.

"Got that?" Harry muttered the counter-charm and the glow faded. "Try yourself."

Suddenly, three things happened at once. The Slytherins, both angry and annoyed, decided to try a trick.

"Stupefy!" Pansy Parkinson cried out as Crabbe mumbled clumsily, "T-T- Talimana!" At teh same thim, another boy named Zabini called out, "Serpensortia!"

Two spells shot into the air, one heading towards Hermione, and the other one towards Harry.

Harry watched as Hermione froze. Leaping into action, he mumbled the Shield Charm. The charm worked and rebounded. Parkinson fell over, stunned, as a tail sprouted from Crabbe's back.

Half the Slytherins roared with laughter. Harry was surprised that they could laugh at their own friends in such a manner, but considering the Slytherins, what had he expected?

"Enervate!" Harry aimed his wand at Parkinson. The girl awoke. "Both of you, go to the Hospital Wing, and fifty points from each for attempting to attack teachers!"

After some complaining and grumbling, the two students left and Harry turned his attention to the large, yellow snake on the floor. The Slytherin girls screamed as it crawled towards them.

Harry opened his mouth and emitted a low hiss in Parseltongue. ~Dear Snake,~ he said, ~May I ask of your name?~

~Octavanian, young wizard,~ came the reply. ~May I ask what is going on here? I was lying in bed and the next thing I knew, I found myself here...~

Harry quickly explained the situation. ~My apology for disturbing your rest, Octavanian. Please do not attack the students.~

The snake snorted. ~Me? Attack students? I'm harmless! And do not apologize, this is entirely not your fault.~

Harry walked forward, and picking up the snake, headed over to the window.

~Where are you taking me?~ came the hiss.

~Setting you free,~ Harry replied. He set the snake out side. ~Goodbye, Octavanian! Perhaps we'll meet again!~

~Farewell, young master,~ came the distracted reply. ~Now, Alexia, where are you?~ The snake slid into the Forbidden Forest.

Harry turned back to the class and found everyone gaping. "Back to work!" he said, and to his surprise, every student bent down over their cauldron and obeyed.

***************

Draco silently added the next few ingrediants to the bubbling potion. His mind was still going over what had happened. Parkinson, Crabbe and Zabini had each lost points and recieved detension. Well, they had asked for it, really, causing trouble like that.

What unnerved him the most was that disconcerting look Potter had shot him... Almost as if the Gryffindor boy knew exactly what he was thinking... It was a rather frightening idea.

And why had Potter and Granger been appointed subsitutes anyways? Why not some other teachers? And where was Professor Snape?

The end-of-lessons bell brought Draco back to reality. Hermione called out, "Homework: write an essay on the Cansiara Charm! At least four feet eight!"

Draco was packing up when Harry headed towards him. 'Uh oh,' he thought, preparing himself for an embarassing moment.

Instead of sneering as Draco had expected, Harry just leaned forward and looked at his potion. "A+," he said with a smile. "Ten points to Slytherin, and Draco, bring this down to Madam Pomfrey, she'ld want a sample."

Draco stared at harry, stunned. Unless his ears were decieving him, Potter, his worst enemy, had just waraded Slytherin ten points.

Harry's smile faded, just the amused glint stayed in his eyes. "So, what are you all gaping at? Class dismissed!"

Draco gave himself a mental shake and grabbing his bag, left the room along with the rest of the Slytherins.

***************

Severus stumbled into Hogwarts and leaned against the door, panting. Around him, the world was spinning madly.

He had just come back from a Death Eater meeting. Voldemort had been angry at Malfoy's 'No Result' report and had punished all of teh Death Eaters.

Severus gasped, trying to catch his breath. When his head cleared up, he thought about where he could go.

Albus was in a meeting, and there was NO WAY he was going to Madam Pomfrey's. From what the house-elves had told him yesterday, they were cleaning his office today. Which left only one place. The dungeons.

Severus slowly took a step and stumbled towards the dungeons, occasionally falling, then picking himself up again. He decended the stairs one at a time. One more step, one more step...

There, the door was right in front of him now. He pulled it open weakly and tried his best to look dignified as he walked in.

He had not taken two steps when another spell of dizziness hit him. When his legs collapsed under him, the groaned, causing forty heads to turn towards him. Unless his ears were decieving him, he heard a thud, and the sound of screaming.

He raised his head and whispered, "Potter... Harry..."

Before he could say another word, darkness claimed him.

***************

Harry was in the middle of teaching the Gryffindors when the door of the dungeons swung open. He looked up, expecting to see Dumbledore. When he was who it was though, he gasped. Around him, there was screams of fear and Neville fell off his chair.

As the bundle of robes collapsed onto the ground, it whispered, "Potter... Harry..." His voice trailed off.

No, it most certainly wasn't Dumbledore, or even McGonagall. It was Severus.

To be continued...
End Notes:
MUAHAHAHAHAAHA~!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cliffhanger! This cliffhanger is dedicated to Lady Russell Holmes' "Broken Beyond Healing"........ Well, I'm working as fast as I can to get the new chapter up so, enjoy the wait! *smirks*


This story archived at http://www.potionsandsnitches.org/fanfiction/viewstory.php?sid=244