As soon as I got back to Hogwarts, I hit the one place I could figure out more about this new timeline: I went to the library.

Seeing my father's memories helped a lot. I had a lot more information than I did three days ago. But I needed to dig deeper, find out about how those events occurred and why. With the way things were, there were a lot more answers that I could only get if I did some research.

I headed straight for the history books. Knowing the history of this timeline was a good place to start at. I scanned the bookshelf until I saw A History of Magic. I pulled the book off the shelf and quickly opened it, reading anything that would be useful to me.

"Okay, so Cedric Diggory was a Death Eater? How did he become a Death Eater? What have I missed? Come on, book. Find me some...light in the darkness. Tell me your secrets. What have I bloody missed?"

"Why are you here?"

I looked up to see Craig Bowker Jr. standing beside me. His clothes were all worn out and he had a desperate look on his face. "Uh...why can't I be here?" I asked, shooting him a confused look.

"It's not ready yet. I'm working as fast as I can," he assured me. "But Professor Snape sets so much of it, and having to write the essay in two different ways...I mean, I'm not complaining...sorry, Scorpius." He now looked terrified that he even said anything to me at all.

"Hold on, start from the beginning. What's not ready?"

"Your Potions homework," Craig answered. "I'm happy to do it...grateful even...and I know you hate homework and books. I never let you down, you know that."

"I hate homework?"

Craig scoffed. "You're the Scorpion King. Of course you hate homework. What are you doing with A History of Magic? Do you need me to do your History of Magic homework, too?"

I shook my head. "No, it's fine, Craig. Just finish my Potions homework as soon as possible." The boy nodded his head and walked away. "Did he say Snape?" I closed the book and slid the book back on the shelf and scurried out of the library. If anyone had the answers that I desperately needed, it was Professor Snape.

When I got to the Potions classroom, I ran inside and slammed the door behind me, trying to catch my breath. "I really do hate running," I said to myself.

"Did no one teach you how to knock, boy?"

I jumped and looked up at Snape himself. "Severus Snape. This...this is an honor."

"Professor Snape will be fine. You may behave like a king at this school, Malfoy, but that doesn't make us all your subjects." He was getting some vials of potions and placing them in a little box as neatly as he could.

"But...you're the answer..."

Snape looked up at me. "How very pleasant for me. If you've got something to say, boy, then please say it. If not, leave and close the door on your way out."

I went up to the table where he was at, giving him a desperate look. "I need your help. I just don't know what help I need. Are you still undercover now? Are you still secretly working for Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore's dead. Besides, my work for him was public. I taught in this school while he was headmaster."

I shook my head. "No, that's not all you did. You watched the Death Eaters for him. You advised him, supported him. Everyone thought you had murdered him, but it turned out that you two had been planning his death all along. You saved the world."

Snape slammed his hands on the table. "Those are very dangerous allegations, boy, and don't think the Malfoy name will prevent me from inflicting punishment on you."

"What if I told you that there was another world? Another world in which Lord Voldemort was defeated at the Battle of Hogwarts, in which the Potter twins and Dumbledore's Army won. How would you feel then?"

Snape let a smirk creep up on his face. "I'd say that the rumors of Hogwarts' beloved Scorpion King losing his mind are well-founded."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not losing my mind. There was a stolen Time-Turner. Well, Albus and I stole the Time-Turner. We tried to bring Cedric Diggory back from the dead...well, when he was dead. We tried to stop him from winning the Triwizard Tournament, but by doing so we turned him into a whole different person entirely."

"The Potter twins won that tournament," Snape stated.

"Cedric was supposed to win it with them, but we humiliated him out of the tournament. As a result of that humiliation he became a Death Eater. He was using Max to get information about the Order of the Phoenix for Voldemort, I assume. Then, he showed his true colors by the end of her sixth year and had her locked up at Malfoy Manor. I can't work out what he did in the Battle of Hogwarts, though. He might've killed someone. Whatever it was, it changed everything."

"Cedric Diggory killed only one wizard and not a significant one: Neville Longbottom."

Longbottom.

I gasped. "That's it! Professor Longbottom was supposed to kill Nagini, Voldemort's snake. Nagini had to die before Voldemort could die. You've solved it, Sna-- I mean, Professor Snape. We destroyed Cedric, he killed Neville, Voldemort won the battle. Can you see it now?"

Snape now had a stern look on his face. "I can see that this is a Malfoy game. Get out before I alert your father and plunge you into deep trouble."

I stood there, trying to figure out another way to get Snape to help me. I had to dig deeper, hit a soft spot. But what? Then, I had the perfect idea. "You loved my grandmother, didn't you?"

Snape let out a scoff. "If you're referring to Narcissa Malfoy--"

"No, I'm talking about my maternal grandmother."

Snape stood still and raised his eyebrows. "You know about your true parentage, I assume?"

I nodded my head. "You loved Lily. I don't remember everything, but I know that you loved her. I know you spent years undercover. I know without you the war would have never won. How would I know this if I hadn't seen the other world? Only Dumbledore knew, and when you lost him you must have felt so alone. I know you're a good man. Harry Potter, my uncle, told his son, my cousin, that you're a great man."

The professor stared at me, unsure at what was going on. But still, he said, "Harry and Maxine Potter are dead."

"Not in my world," I protested. "He said you were the bravest man that he and Max ever knew. They knew your secret, what you did for Dumbledore. They admired you for it, believe it or not, and that's why he named his son, my cousin and also my best friend, after you and Dumbledore. His name is Albus Severus Potter."

The way Snape reacted, he seemed deeply moved by what I just told him. I figured I had hit a nerve, which totally worked. It had to. Only talking about the one thing he loved that was taken away from him would surely convince him somehow.

"Well, you seem to have a way with words, Mr. Malfoy," he commented after not saying anything for a moment.

"Please, Professor. For Lily, for the world, help me," I begged. If I wasn't able to persuade him to help me, then there was no hope for me to fix things back to the way that they were.

Still looking at me, Snape walked towards me, pulling his wand out of his pocket. Scared, I stepped back, hoping he wouldn't hurt me. But Snape aimed his wand at the door and shouted, "Colloportus!" An invisible lock slammed into place. At the back of the classroom, Snape opened a hatch. "Come on."

I widened my eyes in shock and confusion. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"We've had to move many times. Everywhere we've settled they have been destroyed. This will take us to a room hidden in the roots of the Whomping Willow."

"Okay, but who's we?"

With a smirk, Snape looked back at me and responded with, "You'll see."

*******

It took a total of five seconds for me to be attacked by someone as soon as I entered what was known as the Campaign Room.

"Ow!" I shouted, feeling the table behind me hit my back.

I was pinned to the table by a new version of Hermione Granger. This wasn't the Hermione Granger that I knew about in the other timeline. This Hermione was wearing faded clothes and had blazing eyes. She looked more like a full warrior, which suited her, in a way.

"You make one more move and your brain will be a frog and your arms will be rubber," she threatened, shooting me a glare.

"He's safe," Snape assured her, causing her to let go of me. "You never could listen, Granger. You were a terrible bore of a student and you're a terrible bore of...well, whatever you are now."

"I was an excellent student," she retorted.

"You were moderate to average," Snape said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Is he really on our side?" she questioned, pointing at me.

"Yes, I am, Hermione," I said.

She turned around and shot me a distrustful look. "Most people know me as Granger. I don't trust you, Malfoy--"

"Listen, all of this is because of me and Albus. It's our fault," I admitted.

"Albus? Albus Dumbledore? What does Albus Dumbledore have to do with this?" she inquired, very confused.

"He doesn't mean Professor Dumbledore," Snape informed her. "You may need to sit down for this."

Before I could get another word out, a man with scruffy clothes and spiked hair ran in. He looked like a rebel, but he wasn't as good as pulling it off. It took me a few seconds to realize that the man was Ron Weasley.

"Snape, a royal visit, and--" Ron stopped talking when he locked his eyes on me. "What's he doing here?" he asked, pointing at me, immediately alarmed. He fumbled out his wand and said, "I'm armed and entirely dangerous and seriously advise you--" Looking at his wand, he realized that he was holding his wand the wrong way and turned it right. "To be very careful--"

"He's safe, Weasley," Snape said, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Ron looked at Hermione, who nodded her head. He huffed a sigh in relief. "Thank Dumbledore for that."

"Ron, come and sit down," she said, motioning him to sit beside her. "Apparently, we need to hear what he has to say."

So I started from the very beginning. If I wanted to make things right, then I had to go back to where it all began. I made sure to not leave a single detail out. Ron and Hermione both sat there and stared at me the entire time I was telling my story. I knew that they were listening to me by the way they reacted to certain things.

Once I was done, the two sat there in silence, obviously shocked and overwhelmed by what they just heard from a fourteen-year-old. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the Time-Turner, handing it to Hermione. As she was studying the object, Ron was still trying to digest it all.

"So you're telling me that the whole history rests on...Neville Longbottom? That's pretty wild," he said.

"It's true, Ron," Hermione spoke up.

"Right, and you're sure because...?"

"What he knows about Snape...about all of us...there's no way he could make all of that up."

"Maybe he's a really good guesser?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Can you guys help me or not?" I asked, getting a bit irritated. None of them realized how much time was being wasted. We had to do something now.

Ron chuckled a bit. "I mean, I guess we're the only ones that can help, right? Dumbledore's Army has shrunk considerably since its peak. In fact, we're pretty much all that's left, but we've kept fighting on, hiding in plain sight, and even doing our best to tickle their nose hairs. Granger here is a wanted woman and I'm a wanted man."

"Less wanted," Snape added in a dry tone.

Hermione shook her head, brushing her fingers through her hair. "So, in this other world, Voldemort is dead, right?"

I nodded my head. "Yes, he is," I confirmed. "He was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry...Uncle Harry...is Head of Magical Law Enforcement. Max...er...my mum...stuck to being an Auror, and you're Minister for Magic."

Surprised, she crept up a smile. "I'm Minister for Magic?"

Ron, who wanted to join the fun, smiled as well. "Brilliant! What do I do?"

"You run Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," I replied.

Ron nodded his head, then frowned. "Okay, so Harry is Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Max is an Auror, she's Minister for Magic..." He pointed at Hermione. "And I run a joke shop?"

"You're mostly focused on bringing up your kids," I assured him.

He nodded his head and smiled again. "Great. I expect their mother is hot."

I awkwardly began to blush. "Well...um....the thing is, you two have kids...together. A son and a daughter." The two looked at each other in astonishment. "You two are married and in love. You were shocked about it in the other world, too. Everyone else, not so much."

"Sounds like Draco and Max," Hermione scoffed, almost in a disgusted tone, which surprised me. "Close your mouth when you're looking at me, Weasley." Ron obliged, clearing his throat. "So what does Snape do in this other world?"

"I'm dead, presumably," he spoke up from behind me.

"I'm sorry, Snape," Hermione said, a sad look on her face.

Snape swallowed the pain, then looked at Ron. "Well, at least I'm not married to him."

Hermione blushed a little, then turned to me. "So what spells did you use for humiliating Cedric?"

"A Disarming Charm in the first task and an Engorgement Charm in the second task," I told her.

"Simple Shield Charms should set both of those right," Ron said.

Hermione nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, they should."

"And then you left?" Snape asked me.

"The Time-Turner took us back, yes. But with this Time-Turner, you get five minutes in the past," I explained.

"Can you still only move in time and not space?" Hermione asked.

I nodded my head. "Yes, it's...uh...you travel back in the same spot you stand in..."

Hermione looked down at the object. "Interesting..."

Snape huffed a sigh. "Then it's just me and the boy."

Hermione looked up at Snape and raised her eyebrows. "No offense, but I'm not trusting this to anyone. It's too important."

"Hermione, you're the most wanted rebel in the Wizarding world. Doing this will require you to go outside. When was the last time you were outside?"

"Not for a long time, but--"

"If you're found outside, the Dementors will kill you, they'll suck out your soul."

"Snape, I'm done with living off of scraps, making failed attempts at coups. This is our chance to reset the world, to reset everything." She turned to Ron. "I'm going to help them. Are you with me?"

Ron nodded his head in excitement. "You know I am." He pulled out a map and spread it out on the table.

Hermione sighed in content. "Okay, so the first task of the tournament took place at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. We turn time here, get to the tournament, block the spell, and then return safely. With precision, it can be done and it won't require us to show our faces outside in our time at all. Then, we'll turn back time again, make our way to the lake, and reverse the second task."

"You're risking everything," Snape said.

"We get this right, Harry and Max are alive, Voldemort's dead, and the Augurey is all gone, for that no risk is too great. Though, I am sorry for what it will cost you."

Snape sighed. "Sometimes costs are made to be borne." He let out a frown. "I didn't just quote Dumbledore, did I?"

Hermione shook her head, smiling. "No, I'm pretty sure that's pure Severus Snape." She turned to me with the Time-Turner in her hand. "Scorpius, let's hope this works."

With that, Hermione messed with the Time-Turner and watched as it began to vibrate in her hand. It then exploded into a storm of movement around us. I felt myself being taken away like before, seeing a bright light and hearing some kind of abnormal noise.

All of a sudden, I was no longer looking at Hermione. Instead, I was looking at trees.

We got to the arena as fast as we could. Once we were there, I re-watched what Albus and I did when we came back the first time. I now realized how dumb we were for thinking that we could bring Cedric back. We waited as Cedric came out in the open. He was about to begin.

"This is taking too long. The Time-Turner is spinning," Snape said.

Just as Albus was about to take Cedric's wand, Hermione intervened and blocked the spell. Albus looked at his hand, confused as to why the spell didn't work. The Time-Turner began to spin again. Before we could process what was going on, we were pulled back into it, being whisked away like before.

Before we knew it, we were back in the present day. Ron was groaning in pain as Snape looked around, realizing what mess we were all in.

"Ow. Ow. Owwww!" Ron cried.

Hermione ran over to him. "Ron. Ron! Are you okay? What has it done to you?"

"The first time we went back, the Time-Turner did something to Albus, too," I explained.

"Oh, no. I knew it," Snape muttered. "We're aboveground. We need to move now."

"Ron, you can still walk. Come on, we need to go," Hermione told him.

Ron reluctantly stood up, shouting in pain. "Ow! Bloody hell!"

"So did it work?" I asked in anticipation.

Hermione nodded her head. "Yes, it worked. I blocked the spell. Cedric kept his wand."

"But we came back to the wrong place, just a bit closer to the lake. We're outside. You are outside, Granger," Snape pointed out.

"We need to use the Time-Turner again and get out of here," Ron added.

"Yes, we need to find shelter. We're horribly exposed," Snape said.

Before we could leave, I felt a sudden icy wind. It didn't take long for us to spot black creatures coming near us. Dementors.

"Too late," Hermione said.

"This is a disaster," I muttered.

Hermione, who remained calm, looked at us. "They're after me, not any of you." Then, she looked at Ron. "Ron, I love you and I always have, but the three of you need to run. Go. Now."

"What?" Ron questioned, widening his eyes in confusion. "Can we talk about the love thing first?"

"This is still Voldemort's world and I am done with it. Reversing the next task will change everything," she said.

"But the Dementors...Hermione, they'll suck out your soul!" I pointed out.

"And then you'll change the past and then they won't. Go! Now!"

Snape grabbed my arm and I reluctantly went with him. We hid behind a tree and watched Ron stay behind with Hermione, saying something to her one last time before he pulled her in for a passionate kiss. In a matter of seconds, the Dementors came and sucked the life out of them. Witnessing it and not being able to do anything about it was terrifying. I felt so helpless in that moment.

"Let's get down to the water," Snape told me. "Walk. Don't run and stay calm. They may be blind, but they can sense your fear."

"They just sucked out their souls," I whispered, my voice cracking a bit.

All of a sudden, a Dementor swooped out of nowhere and settled in front of me.

"Think of something, Malfoy. Occupy your thoughts."

"I-I feel cold. I can't see. There's a fog inside me, around me..."

"You're a king and I'm a professor. They'll only attack with good reason. Think about those you love, think about why you're doing this."

I closed my eyes and tried to focus. "I can hear my mother. She wants my help, but she knows I can't help her."

"Listen to me. Think about Albus. You're giving up your kingdom for him, right?"

I shook my head, fighting back tears. "I feel helpless and lost. It's consuming me, Snape..."

"One person. All it takes is one person. I couldn't save the Potters for Lily. So now I give my allegiance to the cause she believed in. It's possible that along the way I started believing in myself."

Opening my eyes, I smiled and looked up at Snape. I bravely stepped away from the Dementor. "The world changes and we change with it. I am better off in this world, but the world is not better, and I don't want that."

Snape cracked a small smile. "You sound just like your mother."

All of a sudden, the last person we expected popped out of nowhere. "Professor Snape!" Headmistress Umbridge shouted.

"Professor Umbridge," Snape said in a calm tone.

She had an evil smirk on her face. "Have you heard the news? We've caught the traitorous Mudblood and her lover, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. They were just out here."

"That's fantastic," Snape replied.

The lady raised her eyebrows. "With you. They were with you."

"With me? You're mistaken," he lied.

"With you and Scorpius Malfoy." She shot me a stern look. "A student that I'm becoming increasingly concerned about."

Before I could answer, Snape responded with, "Dolores, we're late for class, so if you'll excuse us..."

"If you're late for class, then why are you not heading back to the school? Why are you heading towards the lake?"

For a while, there is nothing by silence. Then, out of nowhere, Snape raised his eyebrows. "How long have you suspected?"

She smirked again, pulling out her wand. "Years, and I should have acted upon it earlier."

Snape, of course, was a lot faster with his wand. "Depulso!" he yelled. Umbridge was propelled backwards and through the air. "She was always too grand for her own good. There's no turning back now." It seemed like a million Dementors were coming for us now. "Expecto Patronum!"

I gasped at Snape's Patronus when it appeared out of thin air. "A doe, just like Mum's and Lily's."

"Strange, isn't it? What comes from within." Dementors were now surrounding us. "You need to run. I will keep them at bay for as long as I can."

I nodded my head. "Okay. Thank you, Snape, for being my light in the darkness."

Snape, who now looked like a hero, gave me a soft smile. "Tell Albus Severus that I'm proud he carries my name."

"I will."

"Go. Go while you still can."

And so I ran after the doe. Around me, it was all getting scarier. I heard a bloodcurdling scream as I spotted the lake. I dove in the water. Then, it was all black and then silence. It was all so calm. I enjoyed the peace a little bit longer before I ascended to the surface, breathing deeply. I looked over and saw Albus coming up.

"Woah!" Albus exclaimed.

"Albus!" I shouted with glee, smiling at him.

"That was close!" he said. "Did you see that Merman? Did you see all of it? It was...woah!"

I laughed out loud. "It really is you."

"It was weird, though...I thought I saw Cedric start to expand, but then he sort of started shrinking again...and I looked at you and you had your wand out..."

"You have no idea how good it is to see you again," I blurted out.

"You just saw me two minutes ago," Albus stated.

I shook my head, chuckling. "A lot has happened since then. Wait..." I looked and realized what he was wearing. "Yes! You're in Slytherin!"

"Did it work? Did we do anything?"

"No, and it's brilliant."

Albus gave me a sad look. "What? We failed."

"YES! YES AND IT'S AMAZING!" I splashed around the water as Albus pulled himself out of the lake. I followed him, still smiling hard.

"Have you been eating too many sweets again?" Albus asked.

"There you go, you see. All dry humor and Albus-y. I love it!"

Albus raised his eyebrows at me. "Now I'm starting to get worried..."

And then, out of nowhere, the adults showed up, which, to my surprise, made me even more happy.

"Albus! Albus, are you okay?" Uncle Harry asked in a frantic tone.

For some reason, I was overjoyed and shouted, "Uncle Harry! It's you! And Aunt Ginny! And Professor McGonagall! And...Dad. Hi, Dad."

"Hello, Scorpius," Dad said in a serious tone, strolling towards me.

"You're all here," Albus stated.

"And Myrtle told us everything," Aunt Ginny added.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Well, you're the one who just returned from time. Why don't you tell us?" Professor McGonagall retorted.

"Just returned from where?" he responded, acting as if he didn't know what was going on.

I suddenly registered what they knew, which was everything. I gasped in horror. "No. Dang it! I've lost it! I've lost the Time-Turner!" I muttered.

"You've lost what?" Albus inquired, annoyed and worried.

"Time to cut to the pretense, Albus," Uncle Harry said.

"I think you two have some explaining to do," Professor McGonagall told us, then looked at Uncle Harry. "But first, let's get in touch with your sister."

~~~~~~~

A/N: HOLY CRAP THIS IS LONG.

I'm SO sorry this took so long. I was stuck, I was busy, and all that jazz. But it's here! And this may or not be the last chapter in Scorpius' POV.

What did y'all think of this chapter? I know it's long and most of them will be that way. And I know Max wasn't in this chapter (LOL, b/c she was dead, really), but she's in the next one (duh).

This is dedicated to arty_writes because she has been a good friend as I was pushing to write this chapter!

Comment, vote, next chapter will go back to Max's POV. :)

-A