Harry's eyes flicked between Severus and Narcissa as they stood together in the entrance hall. They looked like opposite sides of a coin with Severus dark hair and eyes while Narcissa was platinum blonde with pale eyes. She stood by his side as Harry came towards them and didn't turn away from his stare.
"Narcissa wants to come," Severus stated, emotionlessly.
"Very well," Harry agreed. "You'll both have to lose the robes."
Narcissa shared a look with Severus before they took off their robes and Harry held his hand out for them. He shrunk them down and slipped them away in his jacket pocket. He looked the students over and was satisfised that they would pass as muggle.
"Your mother owled me this morning," Harry said as he turned on his heels. "We are meeting at your house then taking her neighbour's car to the funeral."
"Car?" Narcissa questioned. "I haven't been in a car before."
"Well," Harry announced. "I suppose this will be a learning experience."
xXx
Harry cursed when he ground the gear before slotting it into place and Eileen looked over at him in amusement. Harry just focused on the road before him and making sure he didn't stall the car.
"When did you learn to drive?" Severus questioned from the back seat.
"This is driving?" Narcissa sniffed. "It's a bit rough."
"I'm out of practice with a manual," Harry grumbled.
Eileen snorted beside him but lucky they were pulling up at the cemetery quickly and Harry parked the car. They made a silent group as they headed towards the pile of earth beside the grave of Tobias Snape. Severus took his mother's hand as they stopped beside the grave and the priest looked up from his book.
"Ah, you must be Eileen Snape." The priest cried with a smile. "My condolences on your loss. My name is Mark Jefferies. Please come here and we'll start the last rights."
Harry gently grabbed Narcissa's hand and tugged her to the base of the grave as Severus and his mother came to stand next to the priest. He released Narcissa as the funeral started. It was a sad affair and besides them there were no one else. That's why when a blonde haired man appeared at the edge of the graveyard, Harry took notice. Lucius Malfoy stood there and Harry tensed.
"Stay here," Harry whispered to Narcissa and the woman looked up at him before glancing around then sucked in a breath when she spotted Lucius. "Stay here."
Harry placed a hand on Narcissa's shoulder before he stepped away from the funeral and made his way towards Lucius Malfoy. The blonde waited for him. The voice of the priest faded away as Harry came to stand before Lucius. Pale eyes watched him before flicking to the grave.
"Can't say that I'm surprised," Lucius stated. "He was probably drunk at the time."
"Just another muggle dead," Harry snapped back and Lucius's eyebrow arched up at the words.
"Narcissa spoke of him," Lucius intoned. "I won't shed a tear for the waste of flesh."
"Why are you here?"
"For I care for Narcissa," Lucius explained. "And she cares for Severus."
Harry crossed his arms over his chest but couldn't detect a lie. Lucius then slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
"And to give you this," Lucius said and Harry took the paper from his hand. "I couldn't just see you at the school after all."
Lucius then stepped past him and towards the funeral and Harry let him. The blonde came up to Narcissa and slipped his arm around her. Harry looked down at the paper and unfolded it.
He's planning something at the Ministry.
xXx
"Can this be trusted?" Albert questioned.
"I don't know," Harry sighed as he picked up the mug off the man's desk. "But it can't be dismissed."
"I'll talk to Greengrass then," Albert said in resignation. "You know that my life was simple before you came along."
"You were still in a war with a powerful dark wizard," Harry pointed out.
"But I wasn't on the front lines," Albert disputed.
Harry snorted a laugh at that and looked at the man in amusement
"You could take my place?" Harry reasoned and Albert shuddered.
Harry quirked a smile as they went back to work before they would head up to see the Head of the Auror department.
xXx
Albus glanced up when he felt someone apparated in and waited. When his brother appeared at the door, Albus placed his quill down, as he took in Aberforth. It had been a long time since he'd seen his brother face to face.
"Aberforth," Albus greeted, mildly. "What has brought you up here this night?"
Aberforth stepped forward without a word and placed a gold coin on Albus's desk. Albus frowned and picked up the coin and knew it for what it was.
"An Order coin?" Albus questioned in confusion.
"Mr Swift gave that to me," Aberforth replied without taking a seat.
"I didn't give it to him," Albus mused as he rubbed the gold surface of the coin then paused. "1995?"
"You have the most dangerous kind of man as one of your teachers, Albus."
"We knew that already-"
"You have a man that has come from the future," Aberforth cut in. "A man that is changing time."
"That's against the laws of the Ministry," Albus argued.
"Does Swift seem like a man to follow the rules?" Aberforth said with a sneer. "A man that will take the word 'no' lightly."
"He has stood up to Voldemort," Albus pointed out.
"For that works for his plans at this time."
"You think that he's going to turn on us?" Albus stuttered.
Aberforth reached into his robes and pulled out a parchment and laid it on Albus's desk. Albus slowly picked it up and smoothed it out. He frowned as he looked down at the Potter family tree in confusion. He glanced up at his brother and knew that self-satisfied look on his face. He'd uncovered something grand. Albus looked back down at the paper and ran his fingers down the lines of the tree before freezing.
"James Potter," Albus whispered. "Lily Potter and Harry Potter, born thirty first of July, 1980."
"Harold Swift," Aberforth declared. "Is Harry Potter. That family tree unravelled from a sample of his blood. The man that has been working for you for almost a year, doesn't exist."
xXx
Albus couldn't help his eyes being drawn back to Harold Swift as he sat a few seats down at the Head Table. He sat with a book open on the table as he sipped on his coffee. A very common scene that Albus had observed many times before. A view that he wouldn't have thought twice about. After his brother's reveal last night Albus couldn't help but flick his eyes between James Potter, Lily Evans and Harold Swift; Harry Potter. A son that hadn't been born yet.
A powerful wizard that Albus was having second thoughts about. He pulled out the gold coin from his pocket and placed it on the table and stared at it. At some point in time, Albus had trusted the man enough to include him in the Order of the Phoenix. Albus frowned at the date and worked out that Harry would have only been fifteen. Only a child.
Albus glanced up and noticed Swift was looking out over the hall then over to Albus. Those green eyes locked with him and Harry lifted an eyebrow in question. Albus looked away first. This war had very quickly been pulled away from him. Taken over, by what he now knew was a time traveller, all his plans unravelled. But was that really for the worse? Or for the better?
"Perhaps we should talk."
Albus started and looked up at Harry standing beside him. Those aged eyes looking down with knowledge that Albus could only guess at.
"I believe that you're right, Professor Swift." Albus intoned and noticed the odd look that Minerva was giving them. "We can speak after your classes today?"
"I have to be at the Ministry tonight but I have some free time tomorrow afternoon?" Harry answered with a smile. "I'll have Severus study in the library if you would like to meet in my rooms?"
"I'll bring down some lemon drops-"
"Please don't," Harry cut in with a grimace and Minerva snorted. "I don't know how you eat those things."
Albus chuckled at that which dispelled the dark thoughts in his head. Harry was still the same man regardless of the new information that he'd acquired. Harry's eyes then flicked over to the Slytherin table when shouting sounded out around the hall. Strangely, Remus Lupin had seated himself next to Severus at the end of the Slytherin table with a book in his hand.
"Ah," Harry muttered. "Oh, well. They'll work it out."
Minerva sniffed as she stood and looked down her nose at Harry and he gave her a disarming smile. Minerva huffed before she headed towards the Slytherin table with Slughorn not far behind.
"Looks like I'm making friends everywhere today," Harry quipped and gave Albus a smile, then noticed the gold coin on the table. "That's where I left that."
Before Albus could stop him, Harry held his hand out and the coin jumped into it. The casual use of wandless magic always interested Albus.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Harry remarked before turning on his heels.
Albus's eyes followed the man as he headed towards the Slytherin table where the action seemed to be. Even thou sitting at a table that wasn't your house table wasn't against the rules. It seemed like the Slytherins had taken a dislike to Remus sitting there. Harry walked into the middle of all of it and grabbed Remus and Severus, by their uniforms, and tugged them both out of the hall.
Minerva, Horace and a few Slytherins were left standing there and Albus quirked a smile in amusement at Harry's antics. Perhaps his brother's warning had hit him harder than it needed to. Albus then looked down at where that gold coin had sat and couldn't shake that feeling inside of him.
xXx
"There's no rules against it," Remus grumbled.
"You would be correct," Harry remarked as he sprawled out on the lounge in his rooms. "As long as the students within that house have no concerns with you sitting there. Severus?"
"They had concerns," Severus muttered and sat down next to Harry. "I can't imagine why."
Remus's eyes flicked between them and Harry waved his hand at the chair across from them in offer.
"I just had a question on the potion that you assigned us," Remus grumbled as he took his seat.
"I'm sure that they will get over it," Harry said as he leaned his head back on the lounge and stared up at the ceiling above him. "Feel free to ask your questions now. Since you have Severus's undivided attention."
Severus and Remus dove into the aspects of the potion book as Harry closed his eyes and let the voices roll over him. He would inject now and again but mostly Severus was well versed in potions and Harry could understand why the teen had been the youngest potion master in his time. Someone nudged him a while later and Harry glanced over at an amused Remus and Severus.
"What?" Harry slurred.
"Are you just going to sleep there?" Severus questioned. "I thought you had to be at the Ministry later?"
Harry looked over at the clock on the wall and groaned. He pushed himself to his feet as the two students watched him in amusement.
"Can someone have more than one apprentice?" Remus suddenly blurted out and Harry glanced back. "I mean..."
"Sure," Harry answered as he shrugged out of his jacket and threw it over the lounge. "But it's not common unless they are conducting the lessons in a school environment. Why?"
Harry looked over at the werewolf when he didn't say any more. Severus's face wasn't giving him away but Harry knew that he wanted to add something to the conversation. Harry had to give the Slytherin points for his restraint.
"I don't mind teaching you outside of the classroom, Remus." Harry stated. "But I have my hands full with Severus and he is very demanding."
"Am not," Severus grumbled.
"What about the Auror program?" Harry asked. "Have you not heard back from the Ministry?"
"Yes," Remus answered and looked down at the floor. "They have accepted me."
"Then why would you need an apprenticeship?"
Remus didn't say any more and Harry exchanged a glance with Severus. They were both unsure about the conversation.
"Well then," Harry remarked. "I need to have a shower before this stupid ceremony."
Harry walked towards his room as Remus and Severus went back to their studies. He showered quickly before picking out a robe from the back of his cupboard and stared at it. He sighed and quickly dressed and looked into the mirror. He looked like a wizard as he adjusted the cuffs of his robes and made sure that everything sat right. He hated the look as he brushed his short hair back then added a little gel to go with the style of the day. He took a little time to trim the dark hair on his face into shape. When he stepped back, he saw a pureblood wizard staring back at him. He hated that as well.
He slipped on his dress shoes and made sure that there was no dust on his black trousers. He stood and tucked his dark green dress shirt in and checked his black belt before placing his wand in his holster. He patted his robes down and made sure that he had everything before stepping back into his main room. A sharp intake of breath had him looking up to see two shocked students and Harry drew himself up and looked down his nose at them. He gave them his most superior expression.
"Ha," Severus snickered. "A black headed Malfoy!"
Harry laughed and snagged up some gold cufflinks off the table and slipped them into place.
"I think I'll take that as an insult," Harry said dryly. "I expect such remarks from James Potter or Sirius Black not from my apprentice."
"You dress up well," Remus added.
"Thanks," Harry muttered. "Do you think that they will forget that I'm a half-blood?"
"Yes," Remus and Severus said at the same time.
"Then half my battle is won," Harry laughed and gave Severus a wink. "I'll see you later tonight. Good night, Mr Lupin."
"Good night, sir."
Harry nodded once more to the teen before sweeping towards the door of his room. His robes blowing behind him, much like the Severus of his time, was prone to do. A smirk stole across Harry's face at the thought.
"Harry?"
Harry turned back at Severus's call and the teen gave him a smirk.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Just wanted to remember this moment."
"Oh, shove it." Harry snapped and Remus snickered. "Or I'll drag you to the next event."
Harry turned on his heels, ripped the door open then shut it with a slam to make his point. The students in the hallway looked over at the noise then stared. Harry glared down his nose at the lot of them and they scattered. Now he knew how the Severus of his time felt.
"Bloody robes," Harry grumbled under his breath as he stalked through the hallways and down to the ground floor.
"Professor Swift?"
Harry groaned and stopped in the entrance hall to see Albus Dumbledore in his grand robes of blue and pink. He had a twinkle in his dancing blue eyes as he looked at him. Albus gave him a wide smile and Harry resisted the temptation to cross his arms over his chest and glare. Instead, he stood casually as the Headmaster came to stand before him.
"Yes, Albus?" Harry asked.
"I just wanted to remark how grand you look tonight," Albus said and a few students snickered.
Harry was sure that he could pick out James and Sirius in the crowd and he resisted the temptation to rise to the bait.
"It seems that the Minister of Magic is handing out awards tonight," Harry responded. "My attendance has been requested."
"How delightful," Albus remarked.
"If you say so," Harry retorted. "Seems like a bunch of fluff and posturing to me. I'm sure that Lucius Malfoy will find the limelight as well as a few others."
Albus chuckled at that but Harry noticed Narcissa Black pale in the crowd of Slytherins. He took note of that reaction with interest. She couldn't think that Voldemort would try to attend the Ministry of Magic. Harry had made that the first order of business, when he came to this time, to stop anyone from using Polyjuice or other spells or potions with the same effect from entering the Ministry. Harry then glanced at his gold watch and noticed the time.
"I must be off," Harry announced with a nod to Albus. "Good night, Headmaster."
"And you, Harry."
Harry turned on his heels and headed out of the castle to meet his fate at the Ministry of Magic.