Author's Note- Hey guys! We are now enter Part 3: The Chevalier's Vow. This is not going to be the last part though because we are going through to the Part 6: The Deathly Hallows. The chapter is extremely important guys because I'm starting to really build the background to the First Wizarding War (which I'm actually going to call the Wizarding Civil War because the Second Wizarding War technically hasn't happened yet). I started thinking, what were the politics behind the Wizarding Civil War? How could one man be able to create an army to try and overthrow a government on just blood purity alone? So I thought about it and the chapter will give you guys what I believe to be the actual reasons for the rise of Voldemort. I hope you guys like it! Please let me know what you like! On to the story!

Chapter 15: Across the Pond

Harriet

When Harriet received a discreet note at breakfast with the time, 1800 hours on it, she couldn't help but blush fiercely. She bowed her head and tucked the note quickly into her pocket. She started to eat her food more furiously, causing looks of shock from Ron and Hermione.

"Harry, you alright?" Hermione caused. Harriet stopped quickly and nodded.

"Yeah, sorry. Just a little stressed." That was probably the biggest understatement of the year. Hell, the entire school was ridiculous stressed at the announcement of Voldemort. The candles didn't seem to shine as better as they once did. The once bright spring sun vanished behind somber, gray clouds.

Ron and Hermione nodded in understanding. Before they went to the Great Hall, Harriet had dragged them into an empty classroom and told them about the graveyard and Polyjuice Moody. Of course, she didn't tell them about 'The Plan'. God, just the thought of Ron's reaction made her blanch. And then Hermione would probably rant one of her feminist speeches to Harriet, ignoring the tiny but extremely important detail that the marriage was only in name and to protect her America. (Recently, Hermione had started to lean towards the more liberal spectrum of the political sphere while Harriet stood currently in the middle between liberal and conservative. However, Harriet will admit that when it comes to the economy, she was conservative all the way.) Yeah, they'll find out about 'The Plan' much later, maybe after graduation…

The rest of the day was filled with whispers of disbelief, concern and pity. There were nervous and doubting looks thrown her away. The chatter behind her was suffocating. Even so, her head stayed high and she walked with grace and dignity, or at least, she tried too.

Soon it was time. She told Ron and Hermione that she was staying with Mama tonight so that she could escape them. The moment she did, the cloak was around her and she moved towards the dungeons. As she walked, Harriet couldn't tell with it was the cold hallways or her nerves that made her shake. Finally, she arrived at his office.

Her hand was raised, ready to knock but paused. Frankly, Harriet didn't know what to do. Was she ready to face him? And what on Earth would she say? 'Oh, hello Professor, we're engaged now, isn't that a hoot?' God, she hated her life sometimes. Even so, it was time to face the music. Checking to make sure no one was in the hallway, she removed her cloak and knocked.

"Enter." His baritone voice rang out. Soon she found herself seating across from Professor Snape, her professor, her Chevalier and, well, her fiancé. They sat in silence, her sipping the water he had left out for her and him finishing grading an essay. She glanced at his finish pile, which was considerable smaller than his to do pile.

"Have you ever thought of getting an assistant to get through your piles quicker?" Harriet asked out randomly, trying to spark something out of the strict man. He looked up at her and gave her a glare, though it was softer than the ones he usually sent out.

"Obviously." He drawled out. He handed her the one he was working on.

"What you make of this?" Judging by the topic, burn balm, and the handwriting, she'd say,

"First year, muggleborn or half-blood. Neatly written and I don't recognize the name so definitely not a Gryffindor. Content's weak. They seem to primarily be refencing Book of Potions and forgone using any other textbook as a source of information. Definitely not an 'Outstanding' or 'Exceeds Expectations' but not 'Troll' level. I'd say 'Acceptable'." She finished. He raised an almost amused eyebrow.

"Rather good assessment, Miss Potter. Perhaps after the States, we can focus your work towards grading papers." Ah, there it was, the States. Time to shoot down the elephant in the room then.

"And what will we do when we get there?" Harriet asked carefully. Professor Snape pinched the bridge of his nose before rising from his seat.

"Follow me." He ordered and she rushed to follow him to his lab. Again, it buzzed with excitement and flying potions ingredients as a plethora of potions boiled away. Though, one cauldron, gold and all the way in the back, was silent. She moved towards that one and peered down into it. Professor Snape watched her from afar as she inspected its contents.

The potion was opaque and seemed to be on the thinner side. It filled halfway in the gold cauldron and smelled distinctly of the ocean. If a potion could look regal, this would be the one.

"An aging potion, specifically crafted for you. The body is a fickle thing, Miss Potter. You can always add time to it, but never take it back." He said solemnly, as if he was trying to push her away from the idea of taking the potion. Push her away from 'The Plan'.

"Harriet."

"Pardon?" The confusion poured out of his question. Harriet turned around to look at him dead in the eye.

"My name is Harriet." She stressed out. A mixture of emotions crossed his eyes, confusion, then anger, then acceptance.

"Nothing I say will change your mind?" His question sounded more like a statement.

"No."

"I am not a good man, Miss Potter." She glared at him for his stubbornness but he continued his speech. "I've committed more sins than most men. I've killed-"

"Unwillingly." She interrupted as he looked at her in confusion. "I saw the looks on the Death Eaters in the graveyard. None of them wanted to be here. And those that did are mad, which you, Sir, are not. And I know you've done things you aren't proud of and one day, you'll tell me. But I don't care. These past two years you've done everything that you could to protect me and help me grow. I'm asking you for your help again, Sir. I need you."

The silence that followed was stifling. They stay in their stare down, watching the other as if they were a puzzle that they couldn't break.

"When we go to America, you cannot call me Sir." She smirked at him.

"Then we are even." They returned to the office. He pulled out a quill and parchment and sat at his desk, writing out an outline. Harriet stood at his shoulder, leaning in slightly in order to read the sheet.

"We leave on the 5th." He started. "However, we will have already have left Hogwarts and have gone to Minerva's guest house in St. Andrews. She confirmed that no one was there in 1992. Harriet nodded, understanding 'The Plan' so far.

"From St. Andrews, we'll take the tram to Edinburgh."

"No portkey?"

"No, it's not Ministry triggering if we do everything the Muggle way. The less magic that we use to get out of the country, the better." Understandable. She waved at him to continue.

"Once in Edinburgh, we'll get on the soonest flight into the States. Most likely, we'll have a layover in either Dublin or London. Hopefully in Dublin. While it's highly unlikely that anyone from the Magical World would be in Heathrow, I'd rather not take any chances."

"We'll be landing in New York. Depending on the time of day, we'll either find a hotel or go start to MACUSA." So far, the plan was straight forward. Expect for one tiny, little problem.

"What are we going to do for money?" Harriet had to ask. After all, how were they going to get to America without money. The man smirked cunningly.

"Tell me, Miss Potter" "Harriet!" "what do you think the average salary is here at Hogwarts?" She thought about it for a second.

"Around 7,500. Give or take a few galleons." He nodded.

"Indeed. While I am a fairly good money saver, it wouldn't be enough. Unless I was making money on the side." Harriet's eyebrows shot up at that.

"On the side?"

"I am extremely well known in the potions community and have created and or perfected many different potions. Wolfsbane, Ignis praeventionis, Aequaliter Nubila Spiritus to name a few." What! That's impossible, they all have different inventors. Unless…

"You have different aliases?" He nodded.

"Using different names helps to ensure that I still get the same pay when they get published. I have patents on a plethora of different potions and the vault that I've saved the money in hasn't been touched in five years. I asked for a bank statement from Gringotts and they replied." With that, he handed her another parchment. Her mouth dropped when she saw the figure.

"My God!" She exclaimed. "But-but-"

"Potion-makers are scarce and Potion-inventors are even more so. In fact, nearly all of the European ones seem to be dying out, which makes my work highly demanded. Though hopefully the other schools will be able to dish out a few seeing as the last few generations in Britain have been birthing out dunderhead after dunderhead. It further proves my point that stupidity is hereditary."

"Why the hell are you teaching?!" He flinched back at the loudness of her voice when she turned away from him and started pacing.

"All of this time, you could have been famous. You could have everything you ever wanted! And you were here living in this drafty old castle where you teach ungrateful and cruel students on a teacher's pay?!" She continued to rant at the injustice. Because it was injustice. Professor Snape was clearly a genius when it came to potion-making. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if he wrote the textbooks he assigned to his classes.

"Miss Potter-"

"And on Earth could possibly be your reason for staying here?!" She stopped and toke a deep breath. He looked amused.

"Feeling better, Miss Potter? I think you very well know the reason." His comments stopped her cold and she felt ashamed as she crumbled into the chair across from his desk.

All the things I could do, If I had a little money, It's a rich man's world

Severus

"I'm so sorry, Sir. I've ruined your life." Her voice was weak and full of guilt as she refused to look him in the eye. Oh, Miss Potter, if only you knew how wrong you are. Even so, he ignored her, continuing his outline.

"I'll withdraw half of it and place it in my trunk. When we travel, our trunks will be in our pockets. We'll have to enlarge our suitcases to make it appear that we're tourists but that shouldn't cause any problems. After the meeting with MACUSA, they'll most likely send us to Ilvermorny."

"Ilvermorny?" Miss Potter asked. Ah yes, the school that no one in Britain wanted to talk about because they feared that Hogwarts would lose students.

"America's version of Hogwarts, more or less. I have a good relationship with the Headmistress and Potions Masters. They should be more than willing to help us. After that, we train and you, Miss Potter will become a Defense Against the Dark Arts Mistress."

Severus watched her carefully as Miss Potter moved to the door of his lab, her eyes locked on the glided cauldron. She leaned against the door frame, both wanting to cross the threshold and staying where she was.

"You can still say no, Harriet." Her first name sounded foreign on his tongue, as if it was a forbidden word that should have never been spoken. Her body straighten and she locked eyes with him over her shoulder. There was no fear in her eyes. She didn't fear him. Yes, she was nervous but he saw the excitement pour out of her. She smiled.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world, Severus."

It was the final day of classes, D-Day was tomorrow. Severus was tenser than usually but likely, the school was just as nervous and tense as he was, actually it was worst. His Slytherins were all pale and sickly, the mail that they had received from the majority of their parents confirming the worst. They were scared, for themselves, for their parents. That was why he called an emergency meeting after dinner.

The Slytherin common room was packed to the brim. The Seventh years looked nearly in tears as they bundled together for comfort. His Sixth and Fifth years tried to comfort the younger years to no avail. Then there was his Fourth years. Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott Jr., Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle. All children of high ranking Death Eaters, all branded since birth to serve a madman unwillingly. Finally, Lucia Di Carpe, his Head Perfect spotted him. Her eyes looked as if they had lost their spark.

"Sir?" She called out and his snakes all looked at him. Then there was a hick, before Sixth Year Perfect, Melissa Smith, one of the few Muggleborns of Slytherins (yes, there are Muggleborn Slytherins, they just don't preach it), broke out into a sob. She tried to smother it with her fist before turning to Robert Finn and burying her face it his shoulder. Finn did nothing but pull her close, his face hauntingly grim.

Miss Smith's reaction triggered the chain reaction that followed. In a matter of seconds, the House of the Cunning and Ambitious, the proud House of Salazar Slytherin, crumbled into a sobbing mess. And he let them. Severus let the First Years come running to him as they clung to him for comfort. He let all of them scream and cry, shouting out as many swears as they pleased. For they were children, his Slytherins, who, one way or another, have already suffered enough for their parents' mistakes. His Slytherins who will be forced into the frontline of war.

Severus was able to detach nearly all of the First Years from him besides Miss Rosemond Michaels. Miss Michaels had managed to maneuver herself into his arms, her little arms wrapped tightly around his neck. The poor child had sobbed herself to sleep. She had lost all of her grandparents in the war while her mother, Merriweather Bell Michaels, had become one of his spies against the Dark Lord. Merriweather, with her exotic snow white hair, made her a prime choice for the Dark Lord's Seduction Squad. Female Death Eaters who at first just seduced politicians into agreeing with the Dark Lord and later became the politicians' assassins.

The Dark Lord's circles were vast and nearly endless. He built his army on fear and threats of death to family members, especially for the families that he knew were never really loyal to him. Most of the wives of Death Eaters, unless of course they were Death Eaters themselves, were forced to wear a ribbon around their necks that only the Dark Lord could remove. If he did remove them, the woman would either be free or dead, their heads rolling at their husbands' feet. The death of Katelyn Nott triggered through him.

"Please, my lord. The fault was mine and mine alone." Theo Nott Sr. begged pitifully on his knees. Theo had been charged with entering Abbott Manor and murdering Helena Abbott, the old Minister of Magic who openly opposed the Dark Lord in her latest speech. Theo had told Severus, because he wanted Severus to tip it off to the Aurors. Like Severus, Theo had seemed the madness in the Dark Lord and wanted out. Theo saw to it that the assassination attempt had failed and did so expecting that he would receive punishment. However, Katelyn Nott had gone into labor the night of the raid.

The Dark Lord did not kill expecting wives, for they bred his future soldiers. But once the child was born, the mothers were fair game for the Dark Lord. Thus, there Severus watched with Narcissa and Lucius flaking him. Narcissa had escaped the dread ribbon around her neck due to her marriage to a Malfoy and her sister's outward loyalty. Her arm was wrapped protectively around her expanded belly. Bellatrix Lestrange's laugh could be heard as dragged the clearly exhausted and in pain Katelyn Nott into the throne room.

"Bow, you half-blood-whore." Lestrange ordered as she kicked the new mother in the back. Mrs. Nott gasped tried to catch herself. She laid there, pale with blood still dripping down her legs. The afterbirth wasn't removed from her properly, he analyzed. That didn't surprise him, seeing as Bellatrix Lestrange was her midwife. Narcissa had told him that the Cruciatus was used on Mrs. Nott to speed up the birth.

Still, she moved to her hands and knees and bowed her head to the Dark Lord before collapsing. His evil eyes examined her before Theo jumped forwarded, trying to catch her fall. The Dark Lord throw the Cruciatus at him, stopping him cold from shielding his wife.

"Ah, Mrs. Nott, Bella tells me you've birthed your child." The Dark Lord rose from his chair, the curse felling off of Theo. Theo remained on the floor, twitching helplessly. None could go to them, least they suffer punishment too. Oh, but how badly Severus yearned too but Lucius and Narcissa had clamped down on his arms, stopping him from doing anything rash.

"Yes, my lord." Mrs. Nott whispered out shakily. Suddenly, The Dark Lord cupping her face and shifted her so that she was on her knees and staring him straight in the eye. One hand cupped the back of her head.

"You had a son." The Dark Lord stated as he read her mind.

"Theodore Jr." She whispered back carefully. Then at sick and twisted smile entered his face as he grabbed the ribbon and pulled it off.

Thud.

Her blood splattered over the Dark Lord but he seemed to saver it as he held her decapitated head in his hand, her body dead at his feet. A struggled sob escaped Theo as The Dark Lord rolled her head to him.

"Next time you will not be so lucky, Nott." The Dark Lord hissed before Bellatrix skipped through the pool of blood. She latched onto the Dark Lord, purring and thrusting against him like the twisted slut she had become. He allowed it and returned to his private chambers, Bellatrix's moans loud for all to hear. The more insane group of Death Eaters left, leaving the ones who had been tricked into the Dark Lord's service.

Nott cradled his wife's head to his chest as the rest of the Death Eaters looked at him in pity, his back shaking from his sobs. Avery stepped forward and conjured a stretcher for the body. Narcissa hiccupped back tears as Marigold Parkinson tried to get to Theo, his son in her arms. She too was pregnant but it wasn't noticeable yet.

"God help us." Lucius whispered out as the proud head of the Nott family was reduced to a sobbing, lost widower and single father in a span of one hour.

"Slytherins." Severus called out and waited until the hush fell over the room. Slowly, his students looked at him.

"These next few years will be strenuous on all of us. The return of the Dark Lord brings forth an age of war. Even so, know that not all is lost. He is still crimpled and has lost the political power that he once had. There are some in this room that I know that the Dark Lord will call upon." He couldn't help the glance he made to his godson. "But know that this is not the end. Each and every one of you have the right to do what you believe to be right. He does not dictate you. You are Slytherins, House of the Greatest of the Four. You will use every skill and trick you have learned to survive because it is your way. And I will stand by you. Each and every one of you. This House stands united with you. Never forget that. You shall bring back the honor that this house deserves." He laid Miss Michaels on the chair that he once sat in. Severus turned to his Seventh years, ten in total. Miss Di Carpe nodded as she led her age group to him. They exited the common room and entered his office. Luckily, it was void of Miss Potter. The Seventh years gathered themselves around his desk.

"I have a proposition for all of you. The moment you leave these walls the Dark Lord shall be upon all of you. If you agree to what I have to say, then you will have to give an Unbreakable Oath."

"And if we don't agree?" Mr. Finn questioned.

"You shall be Obliviated before you leave this room." Severus answered coolly. The Seventh Years looked at him carefully before Miss Di Carpe asked,

"If we agreed, would it help to stop him?"

"One can only hope. Do you agree?"

Slowly all but one agreed and she was obliviated easily. That night, the Order of the Phoenix gained nine more spies.

Severus flooed to Minerva's home in St. Andrews. The sun seemed to shine through Muggle house as he waited impatiently for the McGonagall women and Poppy to arrive. The potion laid tauntingly on the table. Today was the day, it mocked at him. Today was the day. His trunk was packed and shrunken into his trouser pocket.

Gone was his teaching robes. It was replaced with Muggle attire. He wore an ordinary black business suit and a white button-down. He wore no tie and had undone the top few buttons of his shirt. The American Witches and Wizards blended in much easier with their Muggle, or should he say, No-Maj, counterparts.

"Oh, Severus, don't you look handsome." Poppy teased as she floo through. She marched up to him, looking him up and down.

"Who knew you could pull off the Muggle look?"

"Poppy, this isn't my first time going to America. You've seen me wear this before."

"Silly boy, you hardly let anyone get a good look at you when you wear that."

"That's because this feels like a monkey suit." He grumbled and pocketed his hands. "Where are they?"

"Oh, we thought it would be better if Harriet took the potion in her quarters. I'm here to collect it."

"Why did you tell me this before I left Hogwarts?"

"Spur of the moment idea, dear. Be back in a tick." With that, the nurse was gone. Great, now he had to wait even longer. Joy…

So many dreams were broken and so much was sacrificed; Was it worth the ones we loved and had to leave behind?

Harriet

"I'm back!" Aunt Poppy chimed out as she entered Harriet's bedroom, the opaque potion in her hands. She laid there as Mama stood at her bedside. Harriet wore a large nightgown. If the potion worked, it should cause rapid growth of her body. Thus, some aspects of her body were expected to… grow, yes, grow.

"Now Harriet, you have to take this in one go." Aunt Poppy said as she pressed the vial into her hand.

"Are you ready, cuilean?" Mama asked and squeezed her open hand.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She shot back the potion.

"G-Gah!" Harriet screamed out as she fell back out her pillows in pain. She could feel her body elongating, her body changing quickly. It hurt, it hurt, dear God, it hurt! It felt like hours but in reality, it was only five minutes before the pain passed. One minute for each year. She sat up carefully as a long lock of black hair swept forward to graze her hand on the bed.

"Mirror." She called out before touching her throat, her voice slightly deeper. It sounded more mature and adult like. Mama smiled at her before transfiguring a tall mirror before her. Her eyes widen.

Gone was the petit, abused child. There on the snow-white sheets was a tall, beautiful woman. Her limbs were slim but strong. Her legs were long and her waist was smaller. Her curves resembled that of an hourglass. The woman's black hair curled beautifully down her back and around her derriere. As Harriet turned her head to the side, so did the woman. Harriet pulled back the locks of hair that was covering her face, revealing her scar. So, did the woman.

"That's me?" No, that couldn't be Harriet. The woman was far prettier than Harriet could ever be. Then Harriet reached back to feel her lower back. Beneath the silky cloth was raised scars. It was kind of sad that it was the scars on her back that proved to Harriet that this was her new body.

"Yep, 19 years old." Aunt Poppy commented as her wand caused a purple hologram that read '19' in the air. "No draw back. She's perfectly healthy!"

Harriet swung her longer legs over the edge and slowly stood. Her balance wasn't off per say, more different if anything. Even so, she adjusted easily.

"Is there any way to get my hair back to normal?" Harriet asked. While she liked her hair long, this was just too much. Imagine trying to wash it in the morning. Harriet shuddered at the idea. Mama nodded and gently grabbed the end of the black locks.

"Tell me when." With that, her hair was back to a more manageable length. Now it was time to get dressed for the signing. Mama had transfigured a simple white dress that even with her new body looked too small for her. As they zipped her up however, the dress shrunk, revealing a long-sleeved, knee-length sheath dress that hugged her body like a second skin. She wore a blazer that was the same creamy white over her dress. Sensible black heels decorated her feet. Her hair was style in an elegant French twist, her side bangs purposely covering her lightning bolt scar. Her make-up looked natural on her, enough to enhance her features but not over powering. In less than an hour, Harriet had gone from Fourth Year Gryffindor to a 19-year-old bride about to elope, time-travel, and go to America. Because her life couldn't be normal, could it?

"Ready, cuilean?" Mama asked one more time. Harriet looked back at herself in the mirror. She locked eyes with the woman starting back at her. Emerald eyes connected with emerald eyes. It was time.

"Ready."

How a Floo to St. Andrews be so nerve racking, Harriet would never understand. Even so, as she stood in the salon, cleaning her pretty white dress from the ashes, his gaze burned into her. Granted she looked different but you could obviously tell that she was still Harriet. It wasn't until she looked up at him that her breath hitched.

Who knew Professor Snape could pull of the Muggle look? He looked like those American actors from old films, strong and striking at the same time. But it was his eyes that caught her by surprise. Yes, there was shock in them but Harriet could tell that he was waiting for her call. She would be the deciding factor. She would decide if they would marry.

"Miss Potter."

"Not for much longer." She couldn't help but tease. He raised an eyebrow.

"Only temporally."

"Oh, you never know Sir, I may just decide to keep you."

"That's highly unlikely. I've been told I'm a sarcastic bastard with little understanding for human emotion." He smirked back at her. Yes, they would be fine.

"Oh, but that's part of your charm." She finished their playful banter. "So, where do I sign?"

The actually wedding ceremony was anti-climactic. Professor Snape, or Severus, as she now had to call him, signed his name first with the blood quill before passing it to her. She hesitated slightly before gathering her courage and signing the marriage contract. With her signature, she felt a shift in magic, her magical core forming a link with her now husband's. It was done. She was married. She was now Harriet Snape.

The contract levitated into the air, a gold glow surrounding it before it disappeared with a snap. The newlyweds shared glance before turning to the teary matrons.

"Mama." Harriet whined quietly when she was dragged into a strong hug. "It'll only be a day before you see me again." (To Mama and Aunt Poppy, only a day will pass before they'll be back.)

"I know." Mama laminated before calming herself, a strong but happy demeanor replacing her. "I expect you to behave in America. Listen to Severus, train hard and be safe. And no death defying tricks!"

"But that's my specialty."

"No!" Came the resounding shout from everyone in the room. Even Profess- Severus looked at her like she was crazy.

"Fine. Anyway, where's the time-turner?" Harriet asked. Aunt Poppy and Mama smirked before they exited the room, leaving her in the room with her husband.

"I swear those two…" Severus mumbled under his breath before removing something from his pocket. He pressed it on the table in front of her.

"Here." He muttered and looked away. Her eyes widened at the sight of the tiny box.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Just open the damn thing." He sighed out in fake exasperation. She huffed, her eyes sparking with laughter before opening the little black box. In it rested two rings. The second ring was simple, if one could call it simple, diamond band. The band itself was either silver or platinum, little diamonds embedded around it perfectly. The second ring was a beautiful emerald cut diamond on a silver/platinum band. And the rock was big. Not obnoxiously so but definitely large enough to cost a pretty penny.

"This is too much." Harriet shuttered out as she lifted the box as if it was a baby bird.

"If you have to spend the next three years pretending to be married to me, the least I could do was get you your rings." Severus stated as his left hand reached up to scratch the back of his head. She caught a glimpse of silver on his hand before it disappeared behind his locks.

"Still, I'm going to pay you back for these." Harriet stated firmly as she put on the rings.

"Don't bother." She glared at the stubborn man.

"I-" She started when Mama and Aunt Poppy reentered the room. In Mama's hand was the time-tuner. It looked like a simple hourglass, about the same size as an actual one. But the sand was gold and the artifact radiated with energy. Severus raised an eyebrow at it.

"No chain, Minerva?" He questioned. Mama nodded as she placed the time-tuner on the table.

"This is a special time-turner, Severus. It doesn't require the user, or users, to bring the hourglass into the past. It's very similar to a Portkey." She explained.

"What's with wizards and their portkeys?" Harriet grumbled under her breath before she checked her blazer pocket. She felt the shrunken trunk and Muggle luggage. Her wand was safely in its Muggle-proof holster, strapped safely to her arm. Aunt Poppy came up to her.

"Here." The nurse passed a Muggle ID, passport and other papers. Her new face smiled brightly back at her. "The Muggles won't know the difference. MACUSA will though. Get to them as soon as possible and explain why you are there."

"And make it very clear that you don't expect them to join the war." Mama interjected. Harriet sent her a confused look.

"Don't we want the Americans help?" Harriet asked. She heard a snort before Severus answered.

"If there's one thing MACUSA hates, it is when the other countries bring their problems to their land. You get a better understanding when we get there." Great explanation, Severus…

"You two ready?" Mama asked. The newlyweds shared a look. 'You can still say no,' his eyes said.

"Let's go." That was her answer. Mama pointed her wand at the time-turner, chanting softly in Gaelic. A stream of magic appeared before her body before it went around her counterclockwise, once, twice, three times. Then the stream launched itself into the time-turner, the sand changing from gold to bronze.

"Just like a portkey." Mama stated before plugging the time-travelers into a hug.

"Be safe you two." She released them before Aunt Poppy embraced them as well. And together, the Nereida and her Chevalier touched the time-turner, and were gone.

Encore un soir, Encore une heure, Un peu de nous, Un rien de tout

Severus

Severus hated the feeling of portkeys because he had little to no control of them. Thus, he absolutely despised Minerva's time-turner. The moment he and Miss Potter (Harriet as he now had to call her in public even if she was still Miss Potter to him) touched the glided hourglass, he felt like a deity had grabbed him by the waist and swung him around like a discus. The landing was less than pleasant as well.

"Fuck me…" He hissed out as the damn thing spat him out into the tile floor. Miss Potter was lucky enough to caught the sofa. She sat up, smoothing out her up-do.

"And I thought portkey were bad…" She grumbled before rising. "Need help?" She extended her hand out. He took it and stood. Severus would be lying if he didn't say her new appearance didn't shock him.

From a Potions Master perspective, her body seemed to be reacting to the aging potion just fine. Better than just fine, actually. From what past researched has shown, the aging potion can cause extreme exhaustion or multiple muscle spasms. However, Miss Potter was moving perfectly fine and she was as annoying energetic as she'll always been. Perhaps her nutrition's potions had something to do with it, but that was an experiment for another day.

From a man's perspective, she looked beautiful, stunning really. She was taller and had grown a mature air about her, as if she wasn't mature enough to begin with. She seemed to radiate with grace and wisdom. And while Severus would never admit this, he was happy that Miss Potter didn't look like either of her parents.

"So, did it work?" Miss Potter asked impatiently as she moved to window, drawing back the curtain to see if the weather was different. Completely missing the calendar on the wall next to her.

"If you would draw your attention to the magical calendar..." He couldn't help but point out. She shot him back a small glare.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." She replied back sarcastically before staring in awe. "We did it. We're in the past."

"But we're not out of the clear." Severus stated. "We need to get to Edinburgh and get out of Britain. Don't use magic unless you have to."

"Lead on, Macduff." She quoted as they headed into the outside world of Muggle Scotland.

The hour and half train ride from St. Andrews to Edinburgh was filled discussion. Miss Potter was far too chatty and happy for a girl with so much happening to her. They sat across from each other and away from the praying ears of the other patrons.

"What's America like?" Was her preamble. Severus leaned back in his seat. How the hell does one explain Wizarding America.

"Gigantic." Was the first word that he could think of. "Tell me, what is Wizarding England's current problem, sans the Dark Lord?" She took a moment to think.

"Our birth rate's going down again?" Miss Potter answered hesitantly. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you stating that or tell me?"

"Stating." She reaffirmed. He nodded.

"Correct. Besides our absolutely appalling economy and the Dark Lord, Wizarding England is at the risk of dying out. If it continues at the rate it is going, there will not be enough wizards to actually run the government and economy. What's the entire population or the UK?" Um…

"Roughly 57 million if I remember correctly."

"Correct. Thus, there should be roughly 10 million witches and wizards in Britain. Our current population is 5.5 million." Her eyes widen in shock as the man continued. "There are two main reasons for the drop-in population. The first is the economy and lack of jobs. The second was the Wars. The War against Grindelwald and War against the Dark Lord saw the rise of birth control which decrease pregnancies-"

"Which caused a drop-in population. But wouldn't the smaller population be better in an economy that isn't producing the amount of jobs it should?" Miss Potter questioned. Severus smirked at her. Quite the economists she was becoming.

"Remember, the war decimated production, which was already in disarray because the McLeary administration. Wizards were saving money, not spending it on luxury goods. Goods were being made but not bought. The Government, in their effort to 'fight' the Dark Lord, raised taxes to ridiculous levels. And since no one was buying luxury goods and cutting back on necessities, jobs were loss and manufacturing was on a standstill. Even after the war, it was hard for the work force to go back to work."

"So, that's why Muggleborns can't get a job!" She nearly exclaimed before she continued.

"I read that book you wanted me to read, The Roaring 60s; The Real Reason You-Know-Who Rose to Power So Quickly, and I was going to prepare the essay for you to read." He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Where you now?"

"Yeah, and it was an amazing read. It actually made sense as to why the You-Know-Who was actually appealing to a lot of witches and wizards." He nodded in agreement before shuddering in remembrance of the horrible McLeary administration. McLeary actually made Fudge look like a political genius.

The Minister of Magic from 1960-1968 was Minister Robert McLeary. A muggleborn from Hufflepuff, he insisted on trying to welcome Muggles into Wizarding Britain. He tried to bring electricity and machinery in. But magic and electricity don't mix (at least in England, it didn't). In fact, if magic is placed on an object with electricity, multiple things can happen. It can be become cursed and try to kill the caster. In can amplify the electricity of the object to the point of explosion, which led to mass destruction of property. One example of this was a new wing built into Hogwarts. It had electricity and when the Professor flicked the switch with wandless magic, the entire wing was destroyed. Three professors and 28 students perished.

Then there was what he did to the Ministry. McLeary insisted that to have equality between Muggleborns and Purebloods. While on paper this seems perfect and normal, McLeary actually did the opposite of what he preached. High ranking job positions were given to Muggleborns for no other reasons beside the fact that they were Muggleborns. Thus, Muggleborns, many of who were ignorant to the scared and magical traditions of the Wizarding world, held absolute power. Healing spells and magic that required blood to work properly were deemed as dark magic. Thus, hundreds died at St. Mungo's Hospital because the necessary healing spell could no longer be used.

It should be noted that McLeary's parents were muggle Communists. McLeary decided to make Magical Britain into a replica of the Magical Section of the Soviet Union. Taxes were raised to a ridiculous level for Pureblood families, specifically the Sacred Twenty-Eight, were deemed as so wealthy that they could spread their wealth to the poor, oppressed Muggleborns. However, this 'spreading of the wealthy' caused a gigantic collapse in the economy, which completely destroyed McLeary's political career. Because the Purebloods could no longer spend their money the way they wanted to, they stopped being goods. Because they stopped buying goods, the demand for goods dropped rapidly. Thus, the businesses were losing money because they were unable to sell their goods. Many businesses hand to lay-off workers because without a profit, there was no pay. In fact, the economy fell into a depression. McLeary's successor, Helena Abbott, threw out most of McLeary's decrees the moment she entered office. However, the Purebloods and Half-Bloods, who had lost a lot during 1960-1968, in land, labor, and people, remained outraged. So, when The Dark Lord rose to power and started the Wizarding Civil War in 1970, many of the Sacred Twenty-Eight financed or joined him. It was only afterwards that they realized the mistake they made in trusting the Dark Lord.

"You know, if I lived during that time, I'd probably join You-Know-Who." Severus stared at her in a mix of shock and horror before she continued.

"I mean, I read nearly every book rewritten on the time period. It didn't matter to me which political view the author took, because I read both the liberal and conservative view points, the results were the same. Robert McLeary had intentions for the magical world. Wither they were good or bad can be debated. The rapid change that he tried to enforce completely ruined the Wizarding Britain for 8 years and helped You-Know-Who gain power. When you look at it, You-Know-Who's political ideas were actually really good and appealing, you know. We now know that he's crazy and blood prejudice but wasn't McLeary too. And those people wouldn't have joined You-Know-Who if McLeary had listened to the common man, the working class and not just his party then You-Know-Who wouldn't have been able to cause a civil war. Mum and Dad would still be here…" Miss Potter trailed off and stared out the window. Severus stayed quite before asking,

"Would you like me to tell you why America is gigantic in comparison to England?" At her nod, he continued.

"Muggle America has a significantly larger population than Britain to begin with. America's Muggle population is 250 million so their Magical is about 25 million. They also have vast land which was used to establish and cultivate wizarding communities in every state. Their economy is fantastic and the world leader's in production and innovative. Their school, Ilvermorny, had to expand in order to handle the influx of students. Ilvermorny has location in Massachusetts, South Carolina, Texas, Minnesota and California, as well as one locate in Quebec. Hogwarts couldn't possible house all of the children in the UK so we lose many students to homeschooling but most are sent to Ilvermorny, Beauxbatons or Durmstrang. Or those students do what you are doing now."

"They become apprentices." She stated. "Hogwarts isn't as grand as it seems, is it?"

"Like a most of the UK, the war hurt us as well. Besides, it's hard for Hogwarts to keep students if we can't even keep our DADA professor." With that, the rest of the train ride was in silence.

Edinburgh, Scotland was a beautiful city. Sadly, it seems like they too suffer from incompetent workers.

"Look, we just need two tickets for the next available plane to New York City."

"But Sir, that's a tall order and very expensive. Are you sure you want to do that?" Severus was ready to curse the employee when two arms wrapped themselves around his left arm and a head landed on his shoulder.

"Surely there's room for two newlyweds. I've never been to New York before and money isn't a problem. So, there should be no problem, right?" Miss Potter asked in a sweet voice that caused acne ridden university student to straighten and search his computer for their tickets. Subtle vocal magic. He turned his face to make it look like he kissing her hair but he actually mumbled,

"You've been practicing." She smiled up at him, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. In little to no time, they were on a 7 hour, 55-minute direct flight from Edinburgh to America. While the actual take-off made Miss Potter extremely nervous, soon she was sleep, using his suit jacket as pillow against the window.

But Severus couldn't sleep. Next to him was his wife, the daughter of his dead love, the Girl-Who-Lived. And biologically she was 14, magically, she was 19. Granted the marriage wasn't a true marriage in the trustiest sense but still, they were married. If it hadn't had been for the Dark Lord, none of this would have happened. And Severus felt guilty. He should have told her that he was the one to tell Dark Lord of the prophecy that killed the Potters. But he didn't because he needed to keep training her. He should have though. She deserved to know.

"Oh, you never know Sir, I may just decide to keep you." No, you won't, Miss Potter, not after you know the truth.

Seven hours and one read, charmed potion novel, they were ready to start the descent into New York. It seems that the potion did affect Miss Potter, because she didn't stir once during the flight. He shook her awake gently and she slowly opened her eyes, her beautiful emerald eyes.

"Sir-Severus?" She asked softly as she sat up. He pointed out her window and she started out at the City that Never Sleeps.

"Welcome to America, Harriet."

Author's Note- O say can you see, by the dawn's early light- (dodges another chair) Ok, fine, no national anthem for now. Please excuse your extremely proud American Patriot of an author but I'm extremely happy because we are in America now! However, let me tie up a few loose ends (which aren't actually loose ends, they just aren't connected yet). The first being politics. As I explained in my first author's note, I don't see how it would be possible for Voldemort to exactly cause a civil war unless politics were involve. While some of you a little against adding politics to this story, I believe that this is an extremely necessary evil. Harriet is getting older and Severus is already an adult. They are going to talk, discuss politics and the differences between the USA to the UK. Also every war is connected to politics and through years of studying history, I've noticed that the failure of governments, and the handling of money, leads to wars. Thus to build this story, we are adding politics. The second loose end is the magical community in the UK. So Pottermore seems to contraindicate itself. After first, we are told that for every 10 Muggles, there is 1 witch or wizard. In 1990, the UK population was about 57 million so the Magical population should be 12.5 million, give or take. However, Pottermore then said that the Magical population was only 3,000 people! One third being Hogwarts students! To me, a population of 3,000 is ridiculously too small, especially of the Magical UK is supposed to be one of the leaders in the Magical World. Thus, I'm expanding the Magical World, increasing the amount of witches and wizards while also explaining why Hogwarts doesn't have a larger student body. I'm trying to build this world so please bare with me and if you think I'm forget something or a loose end! Also, if you guys have any ideas for this America saga, please let me know! I love you guys so much! Please Review! See you guys soon!

-V.I. Winthrop