Turning Time (A Harry Potter Fanfic)

Furry Little Problem, pt. 1

Harry froze, expecting the hat to proclaim “Slytherin!” But the words didn’t come. The hat remained silent to everyone except Severus. It seemed to be communicating with Snape—Harry could only tell by the hardly noticeable changes in its mouth, nothing it was saying was audible. Harry wished he could hear what the problem was, but he had to rely on Snape’s reactions to tell him.

In the first minute, Severus shut his eyes tight and clenched his fists in his lap. Then, over time, the nervousness Snape appeared to feel transformed into annoyance, as he rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly. After three minutes had passed, murmuring broke out, then died back down as Dumbledore signed for them to be quiet. Professor McGonagall whispered, just loud enough so the first years could hear, “He may be a Hatstall; someone who takes five minutes or more to sort. They are very rare, and usually occur only once every fifty years. I was one myself.” 

Harry wondered if he was the one who’d caused this. He doubted that Snape had taken this long to sort in the original timeline. Was Severus fighting for a spot in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin, just as he had as a first year? It seemed so; Snape was now voicing his opinions in a frustrated whisper. Harry glanced at Lily, who gazed unblinkingly at Severus from her seat, features taut with anticipation. Harry could see that her fingers were crossed, resting on the edge of the table before her. Nearby, James and Sirius were sniggering at him, having apparently found something amusing about Severus’ appearance and possibly by the way he was acting. 

Harry remembered Dumbledore saying, “I sometimes think we Sort too soon…” If Dumbledore said it, then it had to have some significance. If it was true, then there was nothing wrong with what Harry had done and there was a good chance Severus would be sorted into Gryffindor. 

It all depended on Severus’ choice. Five minutes and twenty-one seconds after the hat had been placed on Severus’ head, the seam across its front opened wide. Harry held his breath. Ages later, the hat called Gryffindor, and warmth spread back into the Hall. 

Harry could breathe again, and he beamed at Severus as he passed by and sat next to Lily at the Gryffindor table. Severus still seemed slightly regretful as he nodded at Harry, then glanced at the Slytherin table. Only when Lily hugged him did he allow himself to move on. 

Harry wondered if this now meant there would be six male Gryffindors, as opposed to the five in his first year. Who was he pushing to a different house? Unless…there were only four people in Gryffindor house in the original reality. That might explain why the Marauders adopted Peter into their group, because there were so few of them to begin with. 

Harry didn’t pay attention to the next couple of names. He was happy for Lily, Severus, and Raven, but his mind was still not relaxed. His gaze absentmindedly found the Gryffindor table, where his dad sat, eying his mother. Harry looked away, but his thoughts remained on the sight. How his father looked at his mother now was much different from how Severus looked at her. Of course, Snape had the advantage of knowing her for much longer, so maybe Harry shouldn’t judge his dad too harshly. Still, the way James studied her made him uncomfortable. 

Before he could think about it much longer, “Walker, Jacob,” was called, and he went up to the hat. When Harry put it on, the hat made a soft sound of surprise. 

“Well, well, well…” It murmured, so only he could hear. “I heard them call up Jacob Walker, not a ‘Harry Potter.’” It paused, taking in all the information and memories in Harry’s mind, which was a significantly larger amount than the kids who were coming up before him. “You are…very strange. Tampering with the past, but not for your own selfish reasons. And somehow, time has not been torn. Most peculiar…” 

Don’t tell anyone, Harry thought urgently. 

“I was not planning to…You see, I am interested to know how this turns out. I believe you are the first to come to this school under your circumstances. But, to get to the point, you were sorted into Gryffindor last time, and I see no reason to place you elsewhere.”