The corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had never felt so cold.
Albus and Scorpius walked slowly through the stone hallway, their footsteps echoing against the walls.
Everything felt wrong.
The castle they had known all their lives was gone.
The walls that once held colorful house banners were now covered with dark silver flags bearing a twisted symbol.
A snake coiled around a skull.
The mark of the Dark Lord.
Lord Voldemort.
Scorpius stared at it with horror.
"This… this isn't possible."
Students passed them in silence.
None of them laughed.
None of them talked loudly.
Most walked with their heads down, as if afraid to draw attention.
Albus felt his chest tighten.
"What did we do?"
---
They entered the Great Hall.
The sight nearly stopped them in their tracks.
The enchanted ceiling was darker than usual, clouds swirling like a permanent storm.
The long house tables were gone.
Instead, one enormous table stretched across the center of the hall.
Students sat in strict rows.
No house divisions.
No banners.
No colors.
Just silence.
At the far end of the hall stood a tall black chair on a raised platform.
A throne.
Scorpius whispered,
"That can't be good."
Above the throne hung a massive portrait.
The image of a pale, snake-faced wizard.
Cold red eyes staring down at the students.
The portrait of Lord Voldemort himself.
Albus felt sick.
"They worship him."
Scorpius nodded slowly.
"It looks like it."
---
Suddenly a loud bell rang through the hall.
Every student immediately stood up.
Perfectly synchronized.
A heavy door opened at the front of the room.
A tall woman walked in slowly, wearing bright pink robes.
Her smile was thin and cruel.
The moment Albus saw her, his stomach dropped.
Dolores Umbridge.
But this version of her looked different.
More powerful.
More confident.
She walked calmly to the throne and sat down.
Students bowed their heads instantly.
Albus and Scorpius copied them quickly.
Umbridge spoke in her sickly sweet voice.
"Good evening, children."
Her voice echoed across the hall.
"I trust everyone remembers our most important rule."
No one answered.
She smiled wider.
"Loyalty."
Her eyes scanned the room.
"To the Ministry."
"To Hogwarts."
"And most importantly…"
She looked up at the giant portrait.
"To our savior."
The Dark Lord.
Scorpius clenched his fists.
Albus could feel anger building in his chest.
Everything about this world was wrong.
---
After dinner, the students were dismissed in perfect silence.
Albus and Scorpius hurried back into the corridors.
Neither of them spoke for several minutes.
Finally Scorpius said quietly,
"I think we broke history."
Albus leaned against the wall.
"We have to fix it."
Scorpius nodded.
"Yes."
"But first we need to understand what changed."
Albus looked around carefully.
"We should find the library."
"Why?"
"If Voldemort won the war… history books will explain how."
Scorpius sighed.
"That is both terrifying and brilliant."
---
The library was darker than they remembered.
Many shelves had been replaced with books about Dark Magic and magical domination.
Albus grabbed a history book quickly.
His hands trembled as he opened it.
The title read:
**The Rise of the Dark Empire**
Scorpius looked over his shoulder.
"Please tell me that's not real."
Albus began reading.
The words made his blood run cold.
"After the Triwizard Tournament… Cedric Diggory disappeared from Hogwarts."
Scorpius frowned.
"That doesn't sound so bad."
Albus kept reading.
"Humiliated during the tournament, Diggory later became bitter and isolated."
Scorpius's expression changed.
"Oh no."
Albus continued.
"Years later, Cedric Diggory joined the Death Eaters and helped the Dark Lord defeat the resistance."
Silence filled the library.
Scorpius whispered,
"We created a monster."
Because by humiliating Cedric…
They had destroyed the hero he was meant to become.
And that small change had allowed Voldemort to win the war.
---
Suddenly footsteps echoed down the library hallway.
Albus quickly closed the book.
A group of students entered the room.
They wore black robes with silver serpent badges.
One of them stepped forward.
He looked strangely familiar.
Tall.
Blonde hair.
Sharp features.
Scorpius froze.
"Wait…"
The boy stared at him.
Then smiled slowly.
"Scorpius."
The voice sounded almost identical to his own.
But colder.
Crueler.
Because standing before them…
Was another version of Scorpius Malfoy.
Scorpius whispered in shock,
"That's me."
The other Scorpius smirked.
"Yes."
He stepped closer.
"In this world… I am the Head Boy."
And the most loyal supporter of the Dark Lord.
---