Severus Snape Meets His Match

Author's Note

Hey, everyone! This chapter explains why Randi thinks Voldemort is small potatoes, and why she wants Severus to change his alignment. I hear REM, do you hear REM?

I hope you all enjoy.

Amelia

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Randi took a deep, cleansing breath then took a fighting stance. She practiced front kicks, followed by roundhouses, then thrusts to the throat. She pounded the air around her as viciously as she would if it were an actual opponent, making sure that her moves were executed with deadly efficiency. She had felt his dark eyes upon her since she began. He had been watching from the small window of his study. He was a fool if he thought she hadn't noticed. It was surprising that he hadn't fled after what she'd done to him yesterday. She would have killed him on the spot if only she'd had solid proof of his plot, but all she had was information gathered from scrying just before she arrived. That wouldn't hold up in court, and she doubted that the old wizard would want to believe something so horrible. He'd talked about Severus as if he were the son he'd always wanted. That made his betrayal all the more disgusting. What did he hope to gain by killing the old man? It couldn’t be revenge - Dumbledore adored him. What then, a promise of power from the Dark Lord? His pureblood arrogance would certainly take to such an offer. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if the evil bastard had promised him the moon and then some.

After she finished her practice, she went inside and made her way to the dungeons. He was there, standing in front of the door to his chambers. She approached him cautiously and looked him in the eye. “What?”

There was an awkward silence for a moment, and then he spoke, “What is you want from me, MacKenzie?”

“I’ve already told you, Professor.” She replied darkly, “I want you to reconsider whose side you’re on. This war is about to get very ugly. If you lift one finger to harm Albus or Mr. Potter and his friends, I won’t think twice about killing you.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t.” he hissed, “But tell me, what makes you think I’d switch sides after all these years as a Death Eater?”

She hesitated for a moment, then said, “Come with me and I’ll give you a reason.”

Before he could respond, she made a gesture and a large portal appeared in the middle of the corridor.

“What in Merlin’s name is this?” he gasped in disbelief.

“Follow me.” She ordered and immediately disappeared into the portal. Reluctantly, he followed her in and found himself standing somewhere else. The castle was still there, but it lay in ruins just in front of him, surrounded by overgrown grass and wild weeds and flowers. What little was left standing looked as if it had been scorched as well as blasted apart.

Randi reached into the pocket of her denim jacket and drew out a cigarette and a small lighter. She returned the lighter to the pocket after the cigarette was lit, and then took a seat on what remained of one of the steps. “Welcome to the future, Professor.”

He stared in disbelief at the scene before him, and then muttered, “This is a time portal, isn’t it?”

She nodded. “Yes it is. I learned how to create it a little over a year ago. Would you like me to tell you what happens to the world ten years from now?”

An uneasy feeling came over him as the reality of what he was seeing overtook him. He gave a simple nod and listened.

She took a draw off her cigarette, and then began. “I’m a student of history, Professor. Babylon, Carthage, Rome…where are they now? What happened to the once great empires that struck terror into the rest of the world? They lie in ruins now, much as your castle does. They were destroyed seemingly overnight.” She stood up and exhaled a puff of smoke in his face, making him cough. “There’s ALWAYS someone tougher, Severus, tougher than you, tougher than me, even tougher than your precious Lord Voldemort. I’ll tell you what happened here, but the story doesn’t have a happy ending. We’re not alone in the Universe, Professor. You seem to think that magic is Merlin’s special gift to you purebloods. It makes you feel superior and special. Well wake up and smell the carnage, you pathetic bastard! Your Dark Lord wins all right, thanks to your help. Young Potter dies, just as you wish. The only trouble is, eight years later you have unexpected company. A race of wizards from another dimension finds their way here and the best of your pureblood warriors only manage to give them a fight that lasts for three days. What you’re looking at, Severus is the END! The end of our world as we know it.”

“How can this be possible?” he stammered weakly.

She sat back down and stared at him coldly. “They call themselves Corillians. They’re humanoid, like us, but their magical abilities are far stronger. I saw the time when they attacked. Your Dark Lord doesn’t scare me, but these wizards have me absolutely terrified. They’re every bit as good as I am…all of them.”

He stood silent for a few minutes, then swallowed hard and said, “Miss MacKenzie, you have my attention. What can we do about this?”

She drew on her cigarette again then replied, “I’m grateful for my abilities. If I hadn’t been able to see what was coming, it most certainly would have happened, just as you’re seeing it now. Fortunately, the future isn’t set in stone. We can’t prevent their arrival, but we can be ready when they get here. Who’s pureblood and who isn’t doesn’t amount to shit in the grand scheme of things. To the Corillians, we’re all just filthy humans, fit for no better than slave labor and prostitution. Tell me, Professor, is the grudge you’ve been carrying worth the cost?”

She sneered at him as passed him, and left back through the portal.