Perhaps Another Time, Severus [A Severus Snape Fanfiction]

1994

1994

Shaylah stepped into the Headmaster's office, scanning the many portraits on the walls as they did the same to her. Severus, of course, had told her about it all. The old wizard behind the desk stood as the two women crossed toward him, his long white beard grazing the wooden desk, his eccentric robes embroidered with gold. Dumbledore. In her time he had long since been dead, murdered at the hands of his loyal friend, her husband. Though it was all planned and agreed to, Severus still carried heavy guilt. She was meeting a dead man.

The old wizard spread his arms and met them on the opposite side of his great desk. "Welcome! Miss Epans, was it?" Shaylah nodded, taken aback by the fact that he already knew who she was when neither she nor McGonagall had spoken a word. The Headmaster stepped forward, offering his hand. When Shaylah took it an odd shadow passed behind the wizard's eyes, only a brief flash, then it was gone. His lips pulled into a wide smile as if he hadn't faltered at all. "Albus Dumbledore."

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," said Shaylah.

"Miss Epans is the homeschooled student who wants to be an Auror," McGonagall cut in, "She needs to take her N.E.W.Ts."

"Ah, yes. I received your transcripts just yesterday. I'm afraid you'll have some catching up to do, as you're a month behind."

Shaylah fought to mask her surprise. Transcripts, she didn't have transcripts. As far as Hogwarts knew, she didn't exist. She hadn't even given him her true name. There was a twinkle in the old man's eye that somehow dwindled her concern. If somehow she did have transcripts, that saved her from having to concoct more lies. "Oh, y-yes sir. That won't be a problem."

"I expect it won't, your grades show you're proficient in all areas except potions."

"Yes sir, I'm dreadful at them but I've been practicing."

"I'll be sure to mention to Professor Snape that you'll need extra lessons." Her heart leapt at the sound of his name, but she kept her face neutral.

"Albus, she must be sorted so that we may put her in a dormitory," McGonagall chimed in and Shaylah was thankful for the change of subject.

"Ah, yes." Dumbledore stretched his arm toward a dusty old hat sitting on a high shelf, as he twitched his fingers it began to float toward McGonagall who swiped it from the air.

"There are four houses," said the old witch, "Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin." Shaylah heard the disdain punctuating the name of the last house. Severus' house. He had playfully told her that she belonged in Slytherin but if she were placed anywhere else, he would learn to deal with it. They had both laughed heartily at that. He would love her no matter what house she was placed in and they both knew it.

The old brown hat seemed to scowl at her as if they had woken it from a peaceful sleep as it was placed on her head. "Alright let's see," it mumbled in her ear, "Ambitious. I see you've done a lot of work for a certain organization. Hm, I think Slytherin is the place for you, it's where your heart lies."

Shaylah grinned beneath the hat's brim, and whispered, "Are you sure?"

The two teachers watched in anticipation, as if they couldn't hear what had been said between them. The hat hummed and Shaylah felt it against her skull. "Indeed, despite the obvious reasoning, everything in you speaks Slytherin, especially the cunning I see in your past, or is it future?" She heard the smirk in its tone and couldn't help the cunning grin that slid across her face. The hat replied with its own smiling purr, "Yes, Slytherin it is."

As McGonagall removed the hat, Shaylah could have sworn she saw it wink. It knew, and not only about who she was now, but who she had been, who she had left behind. It's where your heart lies.

"Alright, the Slytherin dormitories are in the dungeons, I will lead the way," said McGonagall as she turned toward the door.

"It was wonderful to meet you Miss Epans, I'm sorry we didn't have more time to speak," said Dumbledore as Shaylah turned to follow the green witch. She waved over her shoulder as they disappeared down the stairs, her mind racing with everything the hat and Dumbledore had said. It was all so odd. Perhaps she was overthinking it all, she was in a new place and a new time. Not only was she carrying the future in her hands, but it rested on the steps she took right now. Everything was so precarious and she was already so exhausted.

She followed McGonagall silently back down the stairs and once they had reached the ground floor, they descended one more flight, arriving at a blank stretch of wall. Shaylah eyed it curiously as they came to a stop. McGonagall uttered the word Salazar and the wall disappeared, revealing a dimly lit hall on the other side. "You will start classes on Monday, so that gives you tomorrow to get acclimated and I will ask your Head of House if he will accompany you to Diagon Alley for the materials you have yet to acquire. Welcome to Hogwarts Miss Epans." McGonagall turned on her heels and left Shaylah standing nervously in the doorway to her dormitory.

Taking a steadying breath, Shaylah stepped through the wall. When she turned back it was solid once more, closing her in. One step at a time, she made her way down the corridor. Sparse sconces were her only source of light before she found herself in a great common room dotted with green couches and emerald carpet. There were more sconces in the large room but they did nothing to brighten the space. Great portraits of landscapes dotted the walls, water rushing over rocks or tall grass blowing in a field.

Three girls sat on two of the great green couches, Shaylah hadn't expected anyone to be up so late, or early, but the girls seemed to be studying. One with a head of curly black hair tied in an untidy bun on her head looked up and smiled, "Hi. I've never seen you before."

"I'm Shaylah Epans," she said with an awkward wave, "I was homeschooled but I came here to finish my last year." She smiled, though she was so unsure of herself. She was a mother, a wife, she wasn't a child anymore. How was she supposed to fit into the role of a teenager?

"I'm Carrie Crane," said the dark haired girl, "This is Marsha Braves," she gestured to a red headed girl with a face full of freckles and thick rimmed glasses, the two exchanged a greeting wave, "and this is Lexi Braves." She gestured to the girl sitting next to her on the sofa, her eyes a brilliant blue tucked beneath the same red hair as her sister. "We are all in our final year here too. It's nice to meet you," Carrie concluded.

"It's nice to meet you all, too," Shaylah said a bit awkwardly, "Would one of you mind showing me where the lavatory and the dorms are?"

Carrie sat the book that had been teetering on her knees down on the table between the sofas. "I will!" She joined Shaylah and locked her arm in the crook of her elbow. "I hate studying," she whispered. Shaylah offered the other two girls a wave as Carrie swept her away, all too thankful for the distraction.

Carrie showed Shaylah the way to the lavatory and which bed would be hers in the room of four, all while gripping her by the arm. When the other girl had slipped away and Shaylah was left alone, she caught her reflection in the vanity mirror. Her cheeks were fuller, the laugh lines around her mouth no longer visible and her hair was much fuller and longer than she normally kept it. She looked exactly as she had when she was eighteen. She had expected it, but hadn't braced for it. She looked nothing like her thirty-two year old self. Even her body was different, without looking, she knew there would be no stretch marks from bearing children or scars from her time in the Order. Her past–future–had been wiped away.

She turned on the faucet, filling her hands with cold water, splashing it on her face as if it would wash away the changes. But nothing happened. Her skin even felt different as she ran her palms down her cheeks. She pulled the photo of her family from her pocket, cupping it in her hands, their smiling faces soothing her nerves. Making her way to her bed, she placed the photo safely back in her pocket as she tucked herself into the thick green blankets and was quickly overtaken by sleep. Her dreams threw her into the future if only for a few hours.