Black Fire Burning

Black Fire Burning
Chapter One

She was running hard now. Her legs pumped frantically as her body strained. The lactic acid started to
build up to great amounts in her muscles as she ran. Desperation colored each movement, each breath.
Escape. She had to escape. They were coming closer. Her blood boiled wildly in her veins, trying to get
oxygen from her lungs and into her bloodstream. She was on the verge of collapse. For miles she had ran
and her body was screaming in pain and exertion. Black spots danced before her eyes but she kept running.
Adrenalin was the only thing keeping her conscious and going. There, the portal was ahead.

The portal to another world, a world alternate to her own, gaped just beyond her reach. Hooves pounded
after her and shouts of the Death Eaters rang in her ears. Dear in, in, they were on both broomsticks and
horseback now, so desperate to capture the Girl-Who-Lived for their master, Lord Voldemort. Still she ran
like the wind, leaping over logs and never loosing stride after each hole that tried to trip her. Freedom and
the chance to further her training to defeat the Dark Lord just loomed ahead. Almost there…. She dove
through and the portal instantly closed after her.

She tried to stagger to her feet but instead pitched forward, unconscious. But she was safe and she was
alive, barely. The only way back to her home world was the amulet around her neck that only she could
activate. Amaryllis Lily Potter, the Girl-Who-Lived, eighteen years of age for only a single dawn, will
return back to her world and she will avenge all that she had lost. Voldemort will pay with his blood on her
hands.

~~

Severus Snape paused in his late afternoon walk and blinked in surprise. A girl, who was covered in leaves,
filth, and sweat, lay on the ground completely unconscious. He crinkled his nose. He couldn't even tell
what color her long hair was. He stepped closer and with a wave of his wand he removed the dirt, sweat,
and leaves. He blinked once more at the vibrant dark brown of her hair. Severus knelt by her and turned her
onto her back. Hovering his wand over her body he checked for broken bones and internal bleeding. There
was none and only cuts and bruises littered her creamy fair skin. He reached out to move her bangs away
from her forehead and fell back away from her.

"Merlin's beard." He breathed. He looked around the forest in a panic. Had Harry Potter somehow changed
himself into a girl? And if so how did he do it and why was he or rather she covered with cuts and bruises?
"Oh Albus is not going to like this." Severus may not like the boy but no male deserved to be changed into
a girl. Why it would be horrifying if he, Severus Snape, was changed into a girl. Quickly Severus picked
him, err, her up into his arms, not even bothering to conjure a stretcher, and hurried out of the Forbidden
Forest and back to Hogwarts.

~~

"ALBUS!" Severus Snape burst into Albus Dumbledore's office, actually startling the Headmaster.

"Good grief Severus, what ever is the matter?" The older wizard then noticed the girl in his Potions
Master's arms and lowered his eyebrows in confusion. "And who is this?"

"It's Potter, sir." Severus was almost panting, black eyes wild.

"Impossible, first off Harry is a boy and sd Had Harry has black hair if I remember correctly."

"Then explain his, err, her scar on her forehead." Dumbledore walked out from behind his desk and over to
Severus and the girl who the professor claimed to be Harry Potter. He moved the bangs and raised his
eyebrows in consternation.

"Oh dear."

~~

Harry Potter, the real one, sighed softly and folded his arms behind his head. Today was his seventeenth
birthday and it was going to be his seventh and final year at Hogwarts. He blinked his green eyes and sat
up. Someone was in the house. He stood up and opened his door. His aunt and uncle were at a luncheon
and Dudley was off terrorizing little children with his gang of buddies so Harry was left here in the house,
practically under house arrest since his fifth year fiasco, not to mention his sixth year, which was terrible as
well. He narrowed his eyes. Only a small group of people could Apparate into the Dursleys, the
Headmaster, Remus, Tonks, and Snape included. He went and got his wand and hurried downstairs to see a
rare and quite amusing sight of a panicky Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Snape.

"The Muggles aren't here Albus!" Snape threw his arms up into the air.

"Oh dear, oh dear."

"Can I help you two?" Harry said as he leaned against the banister of the stairs. The two older wizards
whirled around and stared at him.

"But you were at Hogwarts in the Hospital Wing...." Began Snape.

"As a girl." Dumbledore finished. Harry raised his eyebrows.

"How much sugar have you two consumed? I'm right here and I have two wizards in the house saying that
I was at Hogwarts as a girl. Ok."

"Then who....? How....?" Snape trailed off.

"It seems we have a slight dilemma, does it not Severus?" Snape's shoulders slumped and ran his fingers
on both hands through his hair.

"I'm getting too old for this." Dumbledore turned toward a confused Harry and sighed.

"I think it's time you came to Hogwarts, Mr. Potter and maybe we will solve this quandary that we have on
our hands. Come we'll gather your things, you and I. I think Severus needs to sit down for a moment to
collect himself." Snape listlessly sat down on the couch, muttering to himself.

~~

The three wizards arrived at the edge of the Apparation barrier of Hogwarts and Harry put the piece of
parchment that served as his Portkey in the back pocket of his jeans. Snape, who was calmer now, frowned
and began to walk in the direction toward Hogwarts, Dumbledore right beside him with Harry's floating
trunk behind him. Harry quickly followed, swinging Hedwig's empty cage in his hand. They were going at
a fast pace so Hogwarts soon came into view. Dumbledore still hadn't explained to him why he was to
come to Hogwarts and Harry knew that he wouldn't get an explanation from Snape. He sighed as he
followed them into the Hogwarts Entrance Hall. His trunk was placed on the floor and Harry put the owl
cage on top to have the two items vanish, probably to the Gryffindor dorm.

"To the Hospital Wing then, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said over his shoulder. Snape didn't even bother to
pause and started off to the Hospital Wing. Harry rolled his eyes and trotted on. They arrived at the
Hospital Wing's door and the three stopped.

"Now then...." Dumbledore paused and cleared his throat and turned toward Harry. "We have a slight
problem Mr. Potter and we may need your help." Snape snorted but Harry and Dumbledore ignored him.
"You see our esteemed Potions professor had found a young woman about your age in the Forbidden
Forest, thankfully the Centaurs had not gotten a hold of her." Harry nodded, wondering why this girl had
anything to do with him as Dumbledore continued. "She has a scar upon her that you will find very
familiar." Harry sharply inhaled. "Both Severus and I thought that somehow it was you considering that
this scar was only on one person."

"That one person being you Potter." Snape finally spoke, looking over his shoulder at Harry with cold
black eyes. "But apparently someone else has the same scar. How, we do not know."

"It's true, Harry. Come and we'll show you...." An angry yell echoed from within the Hospital Wing and
Snape qly fly flung open the door to have a bowl that was filled with mush collide, mush first, against his
face. The bowl, having emptied its contents all over Snape, popped off of his face and dropped to the floor,
shattering. Mush, dull tasting mush at that, dripped slowly off of his face and Harry resisted the urge to
laugh knowing that if he did laugh there would be hell to pay. He peeped around the shocked and fuming
Snape to see Madame Pomfrey and a dark brunette girl with flashing gold eyes screaming at each other
over the now ruined mush that decorated Snape's face.

"I REFUSE TO EAT SUCH DISGUSTING CRAP! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD EAT
SUCH INEDIBLE GRAY GOOP?"

"THAT 'GOOP' WAS FULL OF GOOD NUTRIENTS SO THAT YOU WOULD REGAIN YOUR
STRENGTH YOU UNGRATEFUL GIRL!"

"THEN YOU EAT IT!"

"NO, YOU EAT IT!"

"YOU EAT IT!"

"NO YOU!" The screaming got louder and Harry noted that while Madame Pomfrey's entire face got red
the brunette would snarl, an attractive flush of anger stretching from one high, finely sculpted cheekbone to
the other.

"SILENCE!" Snape snarled. Harry glanced behind him to see a barely snickering Dumbledore and he
grinned. Then he turned his eyes back to the scene in the Hospital Wing to see that Pomfrey and the girl
were staring at Snape's face. Snape angrily swiped at his face, mush now all over his once clean hand and
Harry fought the urge to laugh again because there was still some mush along Snape's hairline and on his
left cheek and the right side of his jaw. Plus there was the mush all down Snape's front. "Now then you girl
sit down and Poppy work on your cooking because the girl's right, this goop is inedible."

"Ha, told you so." The girl said as she climbed back into her hospital bed and sat, smoothing the sheet
across her thighs, drawing Harry's attention to them. Pomfrey sniffed indignantly and waved her wand to
clean up the shattered bowl and the mush that was still all over Snape.

"Then you make her something." Snape rolled his eyes.

"That's what house elves are for, Poppy." She glared and walked into her office, slamming the door. Snape
strode into the Hospital Wing, Harry close behind him and Dumbledore behind Harry. The bearded wizard
closed the door and the three surrounded the bed that the girl was sitting on. Harry looked at her forehead
where her bangs were, hiding her scar from his view. Immediately her gold eyes traveled to his forehead
where one could clearly see his scar.

"You're me." She said softly.

"I think Miss that we need an explanation to your appearance here." Harry winced at his formal tone but
the girl nodded softly and their eyes connected, emerald green clashing with amber gold. Then slowly she
began her tale of loss, sorrow, and death.

~~

Dead. The Headmaster Dumbledore of Amaryllis' world was dead and her Hogwarts destroyed. Sirius,
Remus, Tonks, Moody, Hermione, and all the Weasleys were all gone from her life. Even her world's
Severus Snape had been killed for he had been found out as a spy against Voldemort. Three quarters of the
Hogwarts student population had been killed upon her eighteenth birthday, that last quarter made into
slaves or were followers of Voldemort. Hogwarts had fallen. And the Wizarding world of her dimension
was in turmoil. The government destroyed, Fudge killed as well. All of the Magical UK was lost. And soon
the Muggles of the UK would soon be brought to their knees, of that Amaryllis was certain.

"And that is that." She watched her other self shake his head in denial.

"No." He murmured. "NO!" Amaryllis just watched silently as Harry Potter sprang up from his chair,
knocking it to the ground. "WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP THEM? WHY? WHY? WHY COULDN'T YOU?
HUH? WERE YOU AFRAID? ARE YOU A COWARD?"

"No, just tired and alone." Her statement made Harry stop in his tirade. He stared as she continued in a sad
tone for gone was the little spitfire who had a screaming contest with the Medi-witch. "Ron died in my
arms, you know. Hermione and Ginny had to drag me away from him. Professor Snape had put an amulet
around my neck, the one that would send me back after I was strong enough, and urged me to run,
screamed at me to run. I followed his order only to hear them get killed. My last links to home save for the
amulet that the professor had made for me were dead. I couldn't even give them a proper burial. The Death
Eaters soon gave chase. First on foot, then on broom, and then on horses and brooms. I barely made it
through the portal that Professor Snape had opened deep in the Forbidden Forest." Tears sprang in her eyes
but Amaryllis held them back. "Gone. All gone." She wrapped her arms around herself and bent down at
her waist. She started to shake as the grief finally caught up with her. Heart wrenching sobs filled the air
and Harry felt shame for his accusations against the girl, his alternate self. He looked to Dumbledore who
was staring at the floor then looked to Snape who watched Amaryllis cry with a stoic expression on his
face.

"Avenge them." He murmured to her. Amaryllis' sobs subsided and she looked up with her tear stained
face. "Train for them. Get stronger, faster, better. Isn't that what he wanted, girl?"

"Yes." Silence reigned and Snape and Amaryllis stared at one another.

"I shall leave this to you then, Severus." The spell that held them broke as Dumbledore spoke and stood up.
There was a twinkle in his eye that Harry and Amaryllis Potter and Severus Snape didn't like. "Yes, this is
a good idea." Dumbledore clapped his hands together and grinned. "Severus, may I introduce your niece,
Miss Amaryllis Snape." The three gaped at Dumbledore who was smiling with pride. "Brilliant, I am so
brilliant. Though I fear that Miss Snape may have to retake her seventh year here at Hogwarts. Hmm, yes.
Here's the story: Miss Snape, Severus' young, home-schooled, orphaned relative from.... do you speak
French Miss Snape?"

"Yes, I had been learning it since I was eight. Professor Snape insisted on it."

"Why would my alternate self suggest that to you?"

"I was rescued from the Dursleys and sent to live at Hogwarts when I was eight since they were abusive.
The professor lived there and I shared his quarters in his guest room. He saved me...." She trailed off.
Snape said nothing and Dumbledore quickly continued.

"Ah, good then you are from France Miss Snape." Amaryllis nodded. "Now because you were home-
schooled you are uncomfortable here at Hogwarts which something tells me you will be anyway. How's
your accent?"

"Je ne sais pas, Monsieur." (I don't know Mister.) Dumbledore clapped in delight.

"A perfect Parisian accent my dear, absolutely perfect. Please carry it a little into your English but not to an
extreme. The Snapes tend to be very good at languages. How's your Latin and Italian?" She spoke her
previously French sentence in both languages and Dumbledore grinned. "Wonderful. This will work so
don't look so glum Severus. Now then Miss Snape you have the entire summer to get acquainted with
Severus." Immediately Amaryllis frowned and spoke.

"How was I supposedly orphaned?" Dumbledore blinked and smiled sheepishly.

"Whoops almost forgot about that detail. Nothing too big, hmm...."

"Murder?" Harry suggested and Dumbledore shook his head.

"No, people will want to know who killed them...."

"Suicide." Severus Snape said softly. They looked at him. Amaryllis' eyes saddened.

"You're right. No one would dare question about suicide since it's not mentioned too much in public." She
said, regarding the older wizard with the stoic face. "Thank you Uncle Severus." Snape nodded.

"Then let the deception begin." Harry said in an ironic tone. Then he snapped his fingers. "Your scar, your
bangs can't always hide it." Amaryllis nodded and frowned. The group thought for a few moments then
Harry spoke.

"Charmed jewelry. Would a bracelet work?" Snape shook his head.

"That's a little to obvious, Potter." Harry glared at the professor who easily returned it. Then Dumbledore
snapped his fingers and smiled boyishly.

"A charmed pair of earrings should do the trick in hiding the scar." Dumbledore said.

"Silver studs, I think." Amaryllis suggested. Snape grunted his agreement. "Silver can go with anything."

"Tomorrow you will receive a pair of silver studs then." Dumbledore said. "For tonight my dear you need
to rest. Sleep well Miss Snape." Only then did the occupants of the room noticed that night had fallen.
Dumbledore guided Harry out of the Hospital Wing, leaving Severus Snape and the girl now known as
Amaryllis Snape staring at one another. Severus cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably.

"Good night then, Potter."

"Amaryllis, Professor."

"Right, Amaryllis."

"Good night then." Severus Snape nodded at her and strode out of the Hospital Wing. He really, really
needed a stiff drink right about now. In fact, a brandy sounded real good right now.


~End of ter~ter~

R&R

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Probably never will. ::sigh:: And I want it too.

It would seem that I broke my promise to write only PWPs at AFF. I hate it when I accidentally lie like
that. Really I didn't mean to. You'll probably never believe me though. Damn it, I always do this. Start a
new story and never update my others. Except for my Fruits Basket PWP one-shot. (It's a one-shot,
DUH!!) Hopefully I'll actually finish this one. Usually I never finish my FF.net ones and then I tend to
erase them. Oh damn, I hope that doesn't happen to this fic.....