Reweaving Fate's Tapestry

September 17, 1985

Severus Snape tied the package onto the owl's leg, and then quickly got back to work. He was careful to stir only counter-clockwise and twice a minute, like he believed he should. New experimental potions usually took much trial and error; but this one, he had to get right on the first try. The fact that the potion, which he was altering to achieve his results, was not exactly the easiest to master, his alterations could have worse effects than he planned. He could actually succeed in making Voldemort immortal instead of killing him.

His continuing betrayal of the Dark Lord was bothering him. He wanted out, cleanly and quickly, but Dumbledore wanted him to stay in, and without Dumbledore he had no protection. So when Voldemort ordered him to make the Nectar of the God's Potion in his continual quest for immortality, Snape decided to be bold. He had severed contact with Dumbledore, knowing the old man would object to the danger he was putting himself in, and worked day and night to create a version of the Nectar that instead of lending the drinker immortal, would reverse all previous immortality attempts and poison the drinker. After adding just a little more lacewings and perhaps 'accidentally' dropping in a salamander's tail or two, he was sure he had it. There was an explosion a foot above the cauldron, and the potion turned from blue to orange. It was ready.

***

1999 (again)

Draco was quite proud of himself. He had saved Voldemort not once, but twice, and now surely there would be an evil empire in which he would be praised and chosen to rule. Tickling? Neville Longbottom playing professional Quidditch? Him dancing ballet? That was a bad dream he could now forget. He Apparated into the Leaky Cauldron to see the fruits of his labour.

Immediately after arriving at the cauldron, Draco felt himself pushed against the wall by two men.

"Name," said one of the blue uniformed men, who had slammed him against the wall. He stared at them in silence.

"I asked for your name, sir," the man leered.

"Draco Malfoy," He gasped.

"Do you support the Ministry against the rebellion?" The man asked.

"What reb..." Draco said, noticing the men's Auror uniform. "Of Course." He smiled. The Auror who had been silent let go, but the one who had been asking the questions only pushed Draco harder.

"Marcus, I think you can let him go now. Draco Malfoy has performed in Swan Lake at the Minister's mansion, I think his loyalty is assured," said the previously silent Auror, whose Weasley red hair Draco had just noticed.

"Just the type of reaction you'd expect from someone whose family are traitors, Charlie," Marcus said. "You need to go in for loyalty testing again?"

"You think the Minister would be happy if one of his favourite performers were injured?" Charlie said. Marcus thought for a minute and let Draco down.

"We'd better not be seeing any trouble from you, or next time we catch you we won't be nearly as nice." Marcus scowled at him,, and sat at a table with Charlie, presumably to watch for the next patron to jump.

Draco rubbed his collarbone, and ordered a Firewhisky, before setting off into the Alley. What he saw was more shocking than the Cannons winning the Quidditch league. Many of the buildings had been reduced to rubble, and Aurors heavily patrolled the street. Everyone on the street walked quickly and with purpose; there were no boys ogling the newest broomstick, or kids hanging out eating ice cream. All in all, it was depressing. Looking around, trying to understand what was happening, he noticed a symbol etched into the glass at Madame Malkin's. And the same one etched on Ollivander's window. Nervously, Draco stopped a passer-by.

"Excuse me, what does that mean?" he said, pointing to the etching. The man shook his head and hurried away. He tried a few others, but they all had a similar reaction. Finally, an Auror confronted him, and told him to leave the people alone. Tired, Draco rented out a room in the Leaky Cauldron. He undressed and showered before collapsing on his bed.

***

There was a creak of light. Draco awoke startled, grabbed his wand and ran towards the door.

"Stupefy!"" he yelled. He then turned on the light and looked at his intruder. It was the Charlie Auror from this morning. After first binding him, Draco woke him.

"What are you doing here?" Draco asked.

"Heard you were asking about the symbols. I would think that a Malfoy would know better than to make such a public display, but I must have been wrong," Charlie said

"Well, why?" Draco replied. "What do those symbols mean?" he said while drawing the "...---...".

"Come on, Malfoy, don't play stupid, you know. Morse code," Charlie said.

"If I know, then you can tell me," Draco said.

"Your father was friends with him; of course you should know S.O.S."

"Who?"

"Severus Octavious Snape, now stop playing stupid," Charlie said, exasperated.

"Better to play stupid than for your friend Marcus to come in here, and pound me a few more times," Draco said, rubbing his collar bone.

"Marcus honestly believes Minister Crouch when he says that the potion was luck. Snape was found unconscious next to the dead Voldemort, and he got put in jail for being a Death Eater, despite Dumbledore's testimony concerning his spy status, and the journal received by the International Alchemists Association that detailed how the potion was made. The man's a genius, but Crouch will never let him out," Charlie said.

Professor Snape defeated Voldemort. But...but... Professor Snape had always supported his efforts at school, would nod when he said something mean about Dumbledore, and would lead them out of the castle for the Death Eater circles. Snape was loyal... wasn't he? There were often faltering poisons and unexpected survivors on missions Snape was sent on, but they had all attributed it to the difficulty of the missions. Then there was the fact that he had been followed immediately after talking to Snape... and, well Draco had to admit it just might be true.

"So this whole rebellion, it's about Professor Snape, right?" Draco asked.

"I never had you pegged for clueless, Malfoy. Are you here to test my loyalty, because I can assure you that the Ministry hasn't been good to me. My dad lost his job for contradicting Crouch's policy, my older brother Bill was carted off for having dated a Slytherin at school three years ago. Percy and I try our hardest, but we're never sure if we'll be fired, and the family won't be able to support themselves. Fred and George have gone underground, and Ron and Ginny want to as soon as possible. But you already knew that," Charlie said.

Draco just gaped. Charlie continued, "Come on, they took your parents, too. First your dad, because he was part of the Inner Circle, but they came for your mom, too, even after they had promised her and you immunity and protection. It was not her fault the Black Longbottom raid failed, but they put her in for trumped up sabotage charges. Don't you trust me? I know all this, and won't hurt you, I promise, just let me go."

A grin appeared on his face, "Thank you."

"For what?" Charlie said, startled.

"For telling me what is going on," Draco replied.

"Aren't you going to let me go?"

"No, but I can promise you that the future will be different," Draco said. "Stupefy." He then retreated from the Auror back to the bed. He picked up Nott's record and started reading. If he was going to get rid of Snape then he had better come up with a plan.

***

August 20^th, 1985

"'Never trust a betrayer, they might come to betray you in turn,' Albus, that's what I've always said. At the last scene of the latest attack, we found a letter from Lucius to Voldemort detailing Snape's double cross. I know you don't want to hear it, you like to give people second chances, but the boy is bad news," Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody said, sitting in the Headmaster's office enjoying a cup of tea.

"Then the letter was a plant. He has been consistent. You yourself have verified his truthfulness many times with Veritaserum. I see no reason not to trust him, this is just misinformation," Dumbledore sighed.

"Albus, the boy is crafty. I wouldn't put it past him to have come up with a counter to Veritaserum. He might be truthful, but I wouldn't want to take my chances. Better to capture him and be safe, then let him bring the whole thing down, I say. Constant Vigilance." Moody lifted his cup and slammed it on the desk, sending tea flying.

Dumbledore got up to grab a towel. "I just believe him, Alastor. I don't find it likely at all that he is double crossing us."

"Well, then why don't you ask him? Arrange a meeting and confront him. If he's lying, I'll gladly arrest him myself," Alastor said.

"Well..."

"Albus, if the letter is true we're better off knowing now than later."

***

August 27^th

Draco was glad his skill in forging his father's writing was proving so useful. It wasn't that hard to stage a Death Eater attack; he had been on enough in his own time. It had been no trouble to intercept the owls to Snape either, not with a good summoning spell, that is. The second letter, 'carelessly' dropped in Knockturn Alley, had told the Aurors about the Nectar and where to find Snape. That, and the lack of communication, cemented the decision to take Snape down before the potion was done. Draco peered from his hiding spot up a tree as the Aurors stormed Snape's laboratory, and came out carrying a body bag. Making the world safe for Voldemort was hard work.

His tail? This doesn't sound right. Try rephrasing.