Harry Potter & How Time Began

Chapter 36 - Still In My Heart

She closed her eyes. Only to open them again in an alleyway. She finds her legs more shaky than they'd ever been, so much so she leans back against the old red brick of the house beside her, taking deep breaths. Swallowing tightly, she finally leaves the wall, her shoes sliding on the dirty pavement, the dead summer air circling in her lungs. A few strides later the street sat ahead of her, houses perfectly matching, all the same colour with the same black iron fence in front. The sky was white with clouds taking up all the room , hiding all the blue that was burst through during the weeks of summer they'd had. Her wand was tucked up her sleeve, her hands tugged at the knuckles, making them crack and sweat with nerves. One of many great things about being The Time Keeper, is being shown all magic, good, dark; it didn't matter , she saw it. So without the need for the password, she saw the hidden house. Slunk between two others, hiding the only line of defence. Part of her stomach burned with anger, the horrible people that destroyed her beloved childhood home had lived here, butt hen again, something wonderful also came from this house. Just as she got on the gate, the door sneaked open, the recognisable lean, depressed figure of Severus Snape crawled out like a spider out a crack in the wall. Black blustering in the cold wind, her eyes met his and he hesitated. She never dropped her gaze, only opening the gate as he closed the door quickly behind himself. With his long strides he met her at the gate. His neck craned to get a good look at her, as if he thought he'd imagined her. She'd seen that look before, nearly on everyone she'd seen and left behind.

"A ghost, outside in daylight, how peculiar" He said , no leer or grin- those died a long time ago.

"We are all ghosts Sev, just some of us don't know it" She replied, voice distant. She felt him shift , he expected her to wink or give snappy responses. She was not what he thought she was.

"What have you been doing, all these years?" He frowned. She gazed off for a second, thinking, then back to his near black eyes, how they'd seem to grow darker by the hour.

"Haunting the earth, watching it spin, what about you?" She smiled softly. Snape froze for a second, that smile, last time he'd seen was when she'd helped him in first year.

"The very same" He replied, then nodding at her, in black smoke and distortion of the air he vanished. She looked away from where he once stood, back at the door walking up the path and on to the steps. She raised her hand to knock but  remembered how much of a fuss that horrid portrait made so she hesitated, that's when those infamous blue eyes gazed through the window of the door. Wavering and changing with the design of the glass. She all but looked at them when the door opened and let her in.

"He's going insane, that women, who does she think she is anyways? the minister of magic? I should hope merlin not" A voice echoed from the back room. There was a reply but she didn't hear it, Dumbledore spoke to her.

"You are unexpected" Said he, gazing down at her through his half moon glasses.

"It is a garuntee with my job that were ever I go, I am a unexpected guests, hope you can forgive the intrusion" She replied, a smile brighter than she had done in a while, gazing at her friend.

"No need to be sorry Horatia, you are certainly needed in times we live in, in all times we live in" He winked before turning, leading them through the dusty hallway.

"You must be patient" Molly Weasley's said.

"Oh what do you know" A scoff in reply. "You would want him to get his full education and be content with a behind the desk job with a little tie"

"And what is wrong with that" Molly's voice grew.

"Harry, is not made for desks, paper work and tie's, he's made for this"