Mirror, Mirror

His office was enchanted, he hadn’t known it until after the past started to shift. Finding out Percy Weasley was killed and having the memories from him being alive as an adult had shocked him. That was when he realized someone was interfering with the past. It didn’t take long to figure out who, because he backtracked it to Sirius Black being released from Azkaban. Terence Higgs had let him in, on when to go back to stop Percy’s demise.

Percy had been his assistant for so long before he promoted him. The only reason he had done it at that time was because he almost did cross that line with the redhead. Percy throwing himself at him was tempting. But after realizing what Percy had done to Rookwood, he couldn’t. Percy wasn’t the person he thought he was.

There was something coming, he could feel it. They were changing things again. There was no way he could go back a second time, as Minister of Magic he had almost everything at his disposal. That also included the dark artifacts they had collected over the years to keep them out of dark wizards’ hands. Hecate’s Altar was one of those things. It was best not to risk it ever again. The last person that used it for their own gain became so embedded with dark magic he killed his entire family. When they had finally gotten him under control, he realized what he had done and begged for death. It was granted.

Percy hadn’t seen Terence since the end of the train ride. It wasn’t even they were avoiding each other because they hated one another. It was just until after his death date. If he didn’t see Terence, there was no way that the other wizard could kill him. Simple as that. Terence had also forbidden him from going near the Forbidden Forest.

He was sitting in Potions class; it was being taught by Madam Hootch until Snape gets released. He found out by listening to chatter on the train that Neville’s parents are on the mend. They have to stay at St. Mungo’s for a few more days but they should be home soon. Neville is over the moon, as anyone would be.

“Excuse me, Madam Hootch, Professor Dumbledore wants to see Percy Weasley in his office,” Cedric Diggory said.

There were sounds of “oohh” and snickering from the other students. Percy collected his things and headed out of the room.

“Do you know what he wants?” Percy asked Cedric.

They hadn’t been friends the first time around. In fact, Percy thought Cedric did show off a bit during their school days. Working for Fudge, he had been there the day Harry brought Cedric’s body back. The memory tore at his heart. Not only that, but Fudge was also already in his head about Dumbledore. Percy wasn’t a fan, but he thought Fudge worried too much about the headmaster. If he wanted his job, he would have had it.

Percy noticed the fourth year looking at him oddly. “Can I help you?” Percy asked.

“I don’t know. You just seem different from last year.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well…you were a bit full of yourself. You told Professor Sprout that I was playing exploding snaps in the Great Hall.”

“You were.”

“Doesn’t mean you have to tattle. You just seem different from then; you haven’t gotten on me once for running in the hallways.”

While he was annoyed by the conversation, he just remembered the boy whose life was cut tragically short. All in the name of a game…and the dark lord. Had he changed the future enough? Pettigrew was in Azkaban now, but the Dementors’ loyalty was for sale.

“The password is Sugar Quills,” Cedric said he headed for the stairs.

He was sure the gargoyle glared at him as he gave the password. Never in his school career the first time around had he ever been sent to Dumbledore’s office. His younger brothers were there regularly from getting in trouble. As he walked up the staircase, he steeled his nerve. He would have to keep Dumbledore out of looking into his mind. While he didn’t think the headmaster would do it without cause, he had too much a stake. Snape had given both him and Terence lessons, he was better at it than Terence.

“Ah, Mr. Weasley, just the young man I wanted to see. Come sit down.”

Percy sat in the chair that Dumbledore directed him to and waited. Fawkes had just flown back in. “Have I done something wrong, Professor?” he asked, keeping his tone contrite.

“No, of course not. Lemon drop?” Offering up the candy.

“No, sir.”

Dumbledore sat in his chair and leaned back, his white beard blowing a bit from the wind coming from the window. He waited for Dumbledore to explain why he’s there.

“Since Professor Snape has been unavailable since Christmas break, I’ve had his quarters under watch. It’s been brought to my attention that you used his floo to go to your home last night.”

Bloody hell. After finding out about Terence’s son, he wanted to hold Lucy. Usually, he would wait a while before he tried to travel there.

“Sir, I had Professor Snape’s permission.”

“That I believe. I just wonder what a fifteen-year-old student is doing after hours in a professor’s private quarters.”

“Just to visit my parents during the year.”

“It’s highly against the rules of our school. It’s also very unlike Professor Snape.”

Fear that he wasn’t as good at keeping Dumbledore out of his thoughts, he decided to give him a small amount of the truth.

“He’s letting me see my daughter any time I want.”

“Daughter? Is this why you didn’t accept Prefect?”

“Yes, she was born at the end of the last school year. I kept my pregnancy a secret.”

The old man’s eyes dimmed some. “I would imagine that would have been extremely hard on you. I expect Professor Snape to come back soon. I’m sorry but I can’t allow you to break school rules. You’ll have to wait to see your family just like everyone. If I let you visit home, it’s a disservice to all the other students.” Dumbledore giving a toss about breaking school rules was a laugh.

“I’ll pack my things and be out of here before nightfall.”

He could tell from Dumbledore’s shocked expression he had surprised him. There was no way he would go months at a time not seeing Lucy, she wouldn’t recognize him when he came back.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit hasty, Mr. Weasley?”

“No. My daughter is more important than staying here.”

“What about the child’s other father? Is he a student here?”

He could feel a slight prodding into his mind. “Yes, Professor, Terence Higgs.”

“When I said houses should mingle, I didn’t exactly mean this. I’ll wave the rule for you, but you are only to use my floo. I need some security for the school. Also, I think it would be inappropriate for you to go to Professor Snape’s private quarters again.”

“When will Professor Snape be back, sir?”

“It should be soon my boy. The Wizengamot don’t want to release him until every patient he gave the potion to has left St. Mungo’s.”

“So, he heals over twenty witches and wizards and is treated like a criminal?” How times had changed where he would have to defend Snape to the man’s biggest supporter. Maybe Dumbledore was never Snape’s supporter, just like Harry he was a pawn in the game. Maybe they all were just pawns in the game with Voldemort to see who came out on top. Dumbledore could have stopped this a long time ago, but he didn’t. Maybe he was hoping for a repeat of his glory days.

“They have to be sure he holds no ill intent for the wizarding public.”

“But you let him wallow there now when before you trusted him with impunity.”

“How do you know so much about something that happened when you were only a small child?”

There now was a buzzing, Dumbledore was done playing. He needed to get out of there fast.

“I hear things. Are we done, SIR?”

There was no twinkle in the man’s eyes when he excused him. He would have to watch out, he was pretty sure he just gave himself away.

He had done well to stay away from Dumbledore, Terence and the Slytherin Four as they had started to being called lately. It was weird watching it happen again but different. Before, they were quiet in their first year. They were still feeling themselves out, not sure where they stood. Apparently finding out each of them was a war hero swelled their eleven-year-old heads. Neville had been the biggest shock, since coming back from Christmas break, he seemed less timid, like the seventeen-year-old one had been.

It was the night of his death, a scary thing to say. He had no idea why he would have been on the edge of the Forbidden Forest or why Terence would use that curse on him. He had gone into the Potions classroom and disposed of that book. What had sixteen-year-old Snape been thinking putting something so dark in the textbook then leaving it behind for any other students to find? On the train Terence had asked him the counter-curse but they got disturbed by the Trolly Lady before he could tell him. They seemed to just forget about it until they had parted. But he wouldn’t be on the grounds tonight, so he didn’t have to worry.

As soon as night started to fall, he felt like crawling out of his skin. He decided to head to the Astronomy Tower and get a look at the nights sky, it always made him feel better. Knowing there was a whole universe out there of the unknown. Looking down for a moment he noticed four lights coming from the castle, heading to the Forbidden Forest. This far away he wouldn’t have known who it was if Ron’s red hair hadn’t been illuminated by one of the wands.

There was no way he could stay there while his brother walked into the forest that was that dangerous. He hurried down, running by portraits yelling at him to slow down. Peeves even came out to follow him, calling him names.

It wasn’t until he was descending the castle steps when he was stopped.

“Where are you going?” Terence had caught up and grabbed his wrist.

“I thought you were supposed to be watching them. They are in your house,” he said, turning towards the forest. They could see the lights in the distance.

“Hell,” Terence said, starting to run in that direction. They were similar heights, but Terence was much more athletically built than him, so he got far ahead.

As he was running, he could see Terence yelling, stopping the four. He couldn’t hear what was being said but he could tell it wasn’t going well for Terence.

“GO BACK UP TO THE CASTLE NOW!” Terence shouted.

“You can’t tell us what to do?” Ron said loudly. Now that he was close, he could hear the shouting. He couldn’t hear what was said between Harry and Terence, but he saw Harry raise his wand and shout a curse that he was very familiar with. Percy pulled his own wand out, but it was too late, Terence fell as he was about ten meters away.

The young Slytherins started to scream seeing the blood and Terence’s white face. In an instant realization he knew what happened in the changed present that they were changing once again.

Finally, he reached Terence and knelt down beside him. Using his wand, he started to chant the counter-curse on the slashes on Terence’s chest and his neck.

Using his wand, he raised Terence up, he needed to get him to the hospital wing fast. Closing the wounds would stop him from losing any more blood but he would need a real healer to replenish the blood he lost. He ignored the four for a moment because he couldn’t even look at them right now. Knowing they had no clue what the curse did, didn’t help much.

“Go back up to the castle. NOW!” he told them.

As he walked Terence’s floating body, he could hear the four coming up behind him. No matter what they read about themselves or what they did in the future they were still only eleven and needed to remember that. He hoped they would get the message now.

Soon as he was through the castle doors, he told them to go back to their dorm. Hurrying down the hallway it didn’t take long for people to notice him. There were screams and questions, but he didn’t stop, he needed to get Terence help as soon as possible.

“Mr. Weasley, what is the meaning of this?” Professor McGonagall called out to him.

“Sorry Professor but I can’t stop,” he said, never stopping his movements.

Once he got to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey took over. “What happened to him?” she asked as she started gathering potions.

He noticed they weren’t alone now. Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall followed him in. Telling the truth would get Harry and the others in trouble. If Terence’s parents found out Harry attacked their son, they would be calling for his expulsion.

“I did it,” he said quietly.

“What are you talking about Mr. Weasley?” McGonagall asked, shock written all over her face.

“I used a spell that I didn’t know anything about. I didn’t know what would happen, I swear.” It was the truth; Harry had no idea what the spell would do. In fact, Percy was quite surprised a first year could actually do it. But maybe he shouldn’t since Harry was THE Harry Potter.

The buzzing was back in his head, Dumbledore was at it again. He hadn’t believed his story it seemed. Instead of secretly blocking him, Percy finally had enough. He looked at Dumbledore while he kicked him out of his mind. There was shock and suspicion on the old wizard’s face.

“Mr. Weasley, come to my office,” Professor Dumbledore said.

“Albus, maybe we should wait until we know if Mr. Higgs is out of the woods,” McGonagall said.

“No, I’ll be speaking to him now.”

Being led to the Headmaster’s office, he felt every bit the naughty schoolboy as he was pretending to be. This wasn’t some detention mistake, if they found out he knew what the curse did and him saying he done it, he would be kicked out of school. Possibly a ticket to Azkaban.

“Where did you learn that curse?” Dumbledore asked as soon as they were through the door. The question wasn’t angry, more like tired.

“Like I said, I heard it.” He couldn’t drop Snape in it, he would never get out of Azkaban.

“That curse was a specialty of its creator. Tell me the truth. Did Professor Snape teach you a dark curse? That curse?”

“No, sir.”

“I’m finding that hard to believe. You also seemed to be skilled at Occlumency when you haven’t taken the class for it. How do you explain that?”

“I read about it. I’m an adaptive person.” Not untrue.

“That I know.”

McGonagall came through the door, she had Professor Quirrell with her. What was he doing here?

“Mr. Higgs is going to be fine; he might have a scar but it’s better than dead.”

Kingsley was clear, they couldn’t kill Quirrell until after all the Horcruxes were disposed of. He had to be careful in the next few minutes.

“That’s wonderful news. I was asking Mr. Weasley where he learned the curse that he used tonight.”

“Like I said, I heard it somewhere.” He would not be caught out.

“As you’ve already said. I have a hard time believing that you just hear a dark curse like that. Has Professor Snape ever made you feel uncomfortable or touched you?” Dumbledore asked.

Out of everything, he didn’t think this would be where it would lead.

“What? No, of course not. He let me see my daughter, that’s it.”

“The aurors are on their way. They need to question you,” McGonagall said.

“I’m sorry but this has to go through the normal channels.”

Since when? he thought. The number of times Dumbledore covered up for Harry was absurd. But he wasn’t the Famous Harry Potter, he was just the third son of one of the poorest wizarding families.

Because he could successfully shut Dumbledore out of his mind, they just waited. He was never happier that he and Terence would practice for hours before Christmas.

The aurors who showed up were familiar, one a little too much. Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt. They were two of the most skilled and dangerous aurors. Why would the Ministry send them?

“This is becoming a habit Mr. Weasley,” Moody said.

They had been the ones to come and take Pettigrew away.

“Is Mr. Higgs awake?”

“Poppy said it would be a few hours of him sleeping. She didn’t want him to awaken while he was replenishing his blood, it’s a painful process,” McGonagall told them.

“Professor Quirrell, will you go let the other Professors know what is happening,” Dumbledore said.

“Yes, Headmaster,” Quirrell said as he skittered out of the office.

“We just have some simple questions for you Mr. Weasley,” Kingsley said.

“Aye, I know who’s responsible for this. I’ve seen his handiwork before,” Moody said.

“Professor Snape is still in Azkaban, Auror Moody,” McGonagall said.

“Do you not remember what he did? Albus may have cleaned him up and packaged him as a reformed figure, but I know better. I was the one that found Marlene McKinnon and her family. That curse, it’s worse than the unforgivables if you ask me.”

“Severus Snape was not involved in the killings of the McKinnon family,” Dumbledore said. Now Percy could see real irritation in the blue eyes. This must be some ongoing argument between them.

“Really? If you believe that, you’ve had your head stuck in the sand for too long.”

“As much as I wouldn’t put it past Snape in the past, I doubt he had anything to do with the McKinnons death,” Kingsley said.

“Why would you think that?”

“Because their deaths had nothing to do with Severus, he was already working with us by that time, in secret of course. I’ve seen the memory of that night in graphic detail. It was to get Peter Pettigrew to break,” Kingsley said.

This was all news to Percy; he had never heard anything of the McKinnons or Pettigrew needing to break.

“Peter was in love with Marlene. They were dating but were keeping it quiet. Voldemort found out that Peter was the secret keeper for the Potters. Then he had the McKinnons taken and told Pettigrew that he would release them if he told him where the Potters were. Voldemort kept his promise, he released their bodies into an abandoned building to be found. After that, Peter decided there was no going back, no way would his friends forgive him for betraying them and Marlene was dead. Voldemort broke him like he knew he would.”

“He had a chance to redeem himself. The McKinnons were killed in July, the Potters in October. He had plenty of time to tell his friends what had happened,” Moody said.

“I don’t know why he didn’t, but I did see the McKinnons murder in the memory, Severus Snape was not there.”

“He created the curse; he should pay for its use. Not to mention he was only sixteen when he did. That’s a brilliantly evil mind.”

“Can we please get back to the problem at hand. Mr. Weasley used a dark curse against another student,” Dumbledore said.

“You don’t seriously believe Percy purposely hurt Mr. Higgs, do you?” McGonagall asked. He withheld the smile; she didn’t know him as well as she thought.

“As soon as he tells us where he learned the curse, we can be on our way. We really don’t want to throw a teenager into Azkaban,” Kingsley said.

He worried they would try a truth serum to get their information. He would have to give them a believable answer, not shutting them out. It would have to be one that they can’t check, meaning the person had to be dead or as good as or someone who had reason to lie.

Knowing he was trapped, he did something he knew he would probably regret.

“Professor Quirrell.”

“Why would Professor Quirrell show you that curse? I don’t even think he knows it,” Moody said.

“He has Voldemort’s entity on the back of his head. That’s what the turban is covering.”

“That’s insane,” Kingsley said.

“You expect us to believe that a professor is here under all these skilled wizards with Voldemort under his turban? I would have known,” Moody said.

“Maybe you’re not as smart as you think you are,” Percy said, he was so done with this. He wanted to know how Terence was doing. “Either put me in Azkaban or get out of my way. I’m going out that door and checking on Terence. Don’t believe me about Quirrell, after all, it will make it exciting when he tries to kill Harry.” He left, not stopping at the calls for him. They would have to stun him. As he walked away, he realized he could have said he read it in the library at Grimmauld Place. Sirius would have covered for him. Usually, he was better under pressure. He just hoped that nothing unfixable happened.

“Professor Quirrell, can we have a word?”

Quirrell looked up and saw two aurors facing him with their wands pointed at him. He was stunned before he could even move.