The Time Turner

Distance

I blinked in disbelief. Severus Snape? The name of my Grandfather. My mother's estranged father, whom she held in high regards. And next to him, sat not just any ordinary Lily, but Lily Evans. The mother of the "Boy Who Lived", who valiantly stood up to Voldemort and sacrificed herself for her son. "Well?" Snape waved his still extended his unusually pale hand out to me. "Sorry". I said apologetically, when I was snapped from my thoughts, and had realized that he still held his hand out. I took the opportunity, and shook his hand, which seemed as if it had retained a thin residual layer of oil that had been created from when he pushed his hair behind his hair behind his ears. There was no need for either of us to introduce ourselves once again, as it'd seem redundant. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen you around school either". Severus commented.

The two looked up at me, eagerly awaiting my answer. I couldn't simply say that I traveled from the future and traveled back into time using a Time Turner which seemed to break upon my arrival. No, I needed to be discreet. I couldn't appear suspicious, and even more importantly, influence any events that could impact present day. I needed to think of something quick. "I'm a transfer student, from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. My father was given a promotion, but it required us to move. Out of convenience, I was transferred here so I'd be closer to home". I said. "Really? What does your father do?" Lily asked. Though she was genuinely curious, her questions soon became annoying. The more of Lily's questions I answered, the more information I needed to memorize, to ensure there were no continuity errors. "He's a botanist". I responded quickly after considering one of the many possibilities. Though, I couldn't reveal his identity, because my father hadn't been born yet. He hadn't existed in this time period. My answer wasn't too far off from the truth. My father currently worked as the Herbology teacher at Hogwarts. He did study plants as I had said, just magical ones. "Really? Well, congratulations!". Lily exclaimed. She'd actually believed what I'd said. I'd made my statement believable. After all, the best lies always contained bits of truth within them.

The rest of the carriage ride was filled with small talk mainly between me and Lily. As the carriage stopped directly in front of the castle, I couldn't help but stare in awe. I'd never seen the castle of Hogwarts ever before, though I'd heard countless stories and descriptions only about the castle itself, in which I often found myself bored out of my mind. And despite how detailed and precise those descriptions friends and family had given me, those descriptions didn't do justice to the beauty of the castle. From the flying buttresses, the meticulously tiled roofs, to the intricate patterns of the turrets, the entirety of Hogwarts seemed to feel enchanted, despite the fact that the building itself wasn't magical. "Isn't it wondrous? It never ceases to amaze me", Lily said in a dreamy tone. "It's just a castle". Severus said, matter a factly, still concentrating on his book. We gathered our belongings and found our designated rooms.

I was hoping my room would be the same one my mother had, in which she was the sole resident of the room. However, I soon found that this wouldn't be the case, when Lily and I arrived in the same room. "How wonderful!" Lily exclaimed. We appeared to be the first to arrive in the dorm, so we had our choice of the five canopy beds. On one side of the room, was a stove. Something my mother would've loved, had she not slept in that broom closet of a room during her Hogwarts days. Springline windows with Gryffindor themed curtains, lined the space in between the five beds, so each bed had their own view of the castle grounds. I glanced out of each of the windows, ultimately deciding to claim the bed closest to the stove, in between the two windows. One of the windows contained a breathtaking view of the Black Lake. And the other window outlooked the greenhouse.

While this spot wouldn't be optimal for some, it felt the most comfortable. The stove reminded me of my mother who could almost always be found in the kitchen cooking away, the charming aroma of spices and herbs wafting all throughout the house. The greenhouse in the distance, made me think of my father, who was currently working as the Herbology teacher and would routinely surprise my mother with her favorite flower, the forget-me-not. The Black Lake didn't appear to anything particularly special, but there was certain familiarity about it. And in this world of strangers, familiarity was my only comfort.