Chapter One: Mixed Messages
The first two drop offs had gone off without a hitch. This time her target had managed to get the drop on her and she cursed herself for her stupidity. Six years of preparation as a witch and the seventh spent fighting a war and the very one she was supposed to avoid direct contact with had caught her! Hermione mentally berated herself as she tried to remove her bindings. Well at least he had been kind enough to put the chair he had tied her to in the center of the room – the pickup point she would be leaving from. Fat lot of good that piece of luck would do her if he killed her. So much for being the cleverest witch of my age.
"What, precisely, do you think you're doing here?" Her captor drawled. He was obviously enjoying himself; toying with his wand and circling her like a buzzard. Hermione stopped fidgeting with the ropes considered him for a moment. He was her age exactly on this night, twenty-three, and sure of his supreme place in the world. After all, he had managed reverse who was trapping whom tonight.
One point in her favor was his over confidence; he did not try too hard to remove her hood. When simple tampering and a few spells had failed to remove her hooded cloak, he had given up trying and simply glared into its darkness, giving her time to decide how fix this situation. He looked proud, powerful, but still came off as incredibly young. All of that would change tonight. This was the man who would eventually become the most feared potions master in Europe.
Snape leaned in close to her face, vainly trying to intimidate her. "You try my patience, and time is short. So answer my questions and I will end this quickly." She snorted and recited the third message of the stack she'd been given and had easily memorized. "Tonight your world will end, and it will not be your fault. Tonight he goes forth to set his plan in motion. Tonight you lose what matters most." The Death Eater Snape stepped back and raised an eyebrow at her. "What drivel are you spouting? You can't possibly be from the ministry; even they have retained some of their mental capacities." Deviating from her script, she laughed at the irony of her delivering what sounded like a prophecy. "Well I suppose being cryptic is a way to ensure that you puzzle over this. Because I'm not from the ministry but I did manage to get you here by yourself. Tied up or not you'll find I have the upper hand."
He pointed his wand at her throat. "I fail to see how. Are you hoping for a miraculous rescue? I can assure you, you'll be dead long before any help can arrive." She shook her head as a faint beeping began to emanate from her robe pocket. "Because I know what the most important thing is, Severus Snape, what matters most." He sneered, jabbing the wand hard into her neck. "Ah yes, this thing that I will lose tonight. Tell me, what is so important about tonight? What is it that you think I will care about losing? What does…" he drawled "matter most?"
She looked up at him, the soon to be teacher threatening to murder her, doubly glad he could not see her face as she said "love." Then, quite spectacularly, she vanished. Leaving only the chair, a small stack of papers, and a very stunned Death Eater.
That night in 1981 both Voldemort and Lilly were dead. Severus Snape had nothing left. And when Dumbledore came to pick up the pieces, instead of turning him down to continue the work of a power hungry mad man, he held on to the memory of the one who, if only briefly, had given him love.
Hermione cursed as she landed with a thump on the floor. Well, at least I'm not tied up anymore. She thought ruefully. Rubbing her wrists, she tugged down the hood of her cloak and focused on when and where she was. It was ten after ten and she was in Hogwarts, in a corridor somewhere. It was all going according to the plan she had memorized. She had fifteen minutes to get into the right part of the castle. Hurrying she ran to a tapestry that she recognized and began running down the secret passage hidden behind it.
Nearing the end, she quickly pulled off her cloak, enchanted so only she could do so – another simple but effective product of the Weasley twins. Underneath she was wearing her Gryffindor uniform, which barely helped her pass as a graduating student. It was 10 years after Harry had been made an orphan, and 10 years since Severus Snape had become potions master of the school. It was time to give him another cryptic message. This time in the guise of a student delivering a message for a teacher. He would hardly recognize her next year when she came to Hogwarts as a fist year. Especially seeing as she had developed quite noticeably as she came into her adulthood. Why was she popping up in Professor Snape's life and offering him random seeming bits of advice? And at a break neck pace?
It all started with Dumbledore's death. She thought rather wistfully as she ran. And his subsequent return to life. He would go down as one of the few wizards to have cheated death. How he still wouldn't explain, even though the war was over and no one was trying to kill him. His plans however, had been inventive and had helped turn the tide of the war against Voldemort. Without him, they may not have won. However, that truly could be said for almost all the people she knew. The dead and the living.
But victory did not mean celebration and the cozy life she had imagined with Ron. Instead, responsibility and the workload had only increased for the Order of the Phoenix. With the ministry in shambles, it was up to the Order to round up Voldemort's supporters. Of course, they did not go easily. Then, just when things seemed to calm down a bit, the defeated Death Eaters, the ones not captured or killed, had decided to go back in time and try to warn their leaders to what the future held in the hopes it could be changed. Dumbledore had decided to meet this tactic with one of his own. The members of the order of the phoenix would go back and give a gentle nudging to certain key players to keep them on the right track and keep them sane during certain points of both their life and the war. Hermione had drawn Professor Snape.
Finally reaching the end of the passage, she checked the small alarm clock in her pocket. There was still seven minutes before she had to make it to the next pick up point. Dropping the spelled robe behind the new tapestry, she stepped out into the corridor. Her directions said he should be along any second. A light rounded the corner followed by Professor Snape, just the man she had been waiting for. "What are you doing out of bed? 50 points from Gryffindor!"
Hermione smiled brightly and absentmindedly, and when she spoke, it was in a very perky tone. "Oh sir! I'm sorry sir! Professor McGonagall said to give you a message, but I couldn't find you and…" He cut her off with a sneer. The light from his wand cast stark shadows over his face, making him far more sinister looking then daylight ever could. His hair remained part of the shadow, reflecting no light. She mentally cataloged that fact. He was not greasy, that too had been part of his role with Voldemort. His unpleasant demeanor however, was obviously a personality quark. Even though the war was over, and Professor Snape's true alliances revealed, Hermione still had to defend him to Harry and Ron. She wouldn't have bothered if it weren't for the fact that, as heroes, they should set a better example than petty bickering.
"Out with it then, before you disappoint her further by losing more house points." She allowed her smile to dim somewhat and then fade into a hurt sort of pout. I can feel him dropping my IQ level already. How could any girl stand to act this way? Hermione thought as she put her hands to her pockets. She couldn't feel her packet of papers. Without giving into panic or even batting an eyelash, she looked demurely at her feet illuminated by his wand. "Professor McGonagall said to tell you that 'Just because you've lost something doesn't mean it's gone, or that you should give up on it entirely.'" She frowned as if thoughtful and said, "Well that doesn't make much sense to me. Did you lose something professor?"
"Undoubtedly my mind, if you think I'd believe such drivel came from the head of Gryffindor." He drawled. Three minutes left! She fidgeted with impatiencethat probably helped solidify the image of a girl trying to get out of trouble. "No doubt she'll want to hear this fascinating tale in the morning." She protested as he dragged her to the Gryffindor tower and shoved her inside. Barely waiting for it to close behind her, she recklessly whispered to the portrait and exited. Racing off she couldn't go back for her cloak, but made it to her next checkpoint before the clock started beeping.
Half an hour later found Severus Snape ending his rounds of the school. He followed his routine, made sure everything was in order, and that no one was spying on him. Then he went over to his desk and pulled out an old, yellowing stack of paper. Looking down at the first sheet, he put it aside. At the second sheet, he stared a long time before putting it aside with the first. The third and forth however he folded and put in his pocket before taking the rest back to his chair for some light reading.
This next drop off was also in Hogwarts, three years later. Hermione was glad she memorized what she was supposed to say and when, her searching had proven fruitless. The papers were well and truly lost. Her only hope was that the stacks of paper were with her cloak in the secret passage. Her target this time was Professor Snape's study. She was to scrawl the message on to his wall. She wondered how much these inane messages actually helped him focus on winning the war. They would drive her to distraction. But perhaps that's the point. Hermione thought. After all, he is balancing two lives right now. One belonging to Voldemort, and one to Dumbledore. Besides reaffirming to himself that the path of light is what he wants, it gives him something less serious to focus on.
Hermione skidded to a halt outside his office in the dungeon and straitened her uniform. It was now the middle of her third year. While she didn't look like a third year, she hardly thought Professor Snape would notice if he happened to come along. Carefully she opened the door to his study and slipped through, shutting it quietly behind her. "Miss Granger, what do you think you are doing?" Hermione jumped and turned, just as guiltily as any student caught red handed.
"I can explain Sir!" She said quickly. He raised an eyebrow but remained sitting in his desk. "Do so then, quickly, before you lose your house precious points." She winced and then said timidly. "Professor Dumbledore sent me to fetch you. He wants to meet with you in the teacher's lounge. I believe it's about the Dementors, sir." Hermione congratulated herself on her quick thinking. "I didn't knock because…" She hesitated with feigned worry. "Well…On my way down here I thought I saw Malfoy following me." He stood rolling his eyes. "Miss Granger your school girl dramas are none of my concern, remove yourself from my office at once. Do not enter again without my permission or the consequences will be dire."
She did so meekly. As soon as she got outside his room, she turned down the nearest side passage to wait. After five minutes passed, she went to his door and knocked. No answer. Again, Hermione slipped into the room, this time finding it empty. She went over to a blank piece of wall and began inscribing her message with her wand. The soft brush of cloth on stone told her she wasn't alone. Without thinking she dived behind the desk and came up from a roll, wand pointed at the source of the sound. Reacting as she had in now countless battles, the words of a spell were nearly out of her mouth before she stopped moving. "Avada -" "Expellimos!" Despite having lost the advantage of surprise, he managed to hit her with a spell before she had even finished hers.
She hit the wall and slid down it, then stood shakily to face her attacker. Professor Snape stood unconcernedly holding her wand. Somehow she had been caught again by the very man whom she had been sent back to help. This time she had almost killed him. Education levels must have decreased drastically if I am the cleverest witch of my age. How could I have been so stupid? "Sloppy Miss Granger." Professor Snape drawled moving closer. She scooted along the wall away from him, not knowing what he would do next. He tisked and examined her wand. A spell caused it to glow green, flashing three times. "Unforgivables? I am disappointed; a real witch finds ways to end violent confrontations with a more imaginative threat."
Fear caused her to find her tongue. "Sir, I can't explain but…" Snape cut her off with a dismissive gesture. "No, Miss Granger I don't think there is a reasonable explanation. One of the golden trio walking such dark paths, I do believe Professor Dumbledore will be most displeased." Before she could respond the alarm clock in her pocket started beeping. She didn't move, but stared at him defiantly. It was too late to make it to the pickup point. Waving his wand caused the small alarm clock to fly out of her pocket to him and he caught it in the same hand as her wand. "What's this?" He said. The part of her that was not terrified at being caught a second time, this time when he actually knew who she was, noticed angrily that he always took a twisted sort of pleasure out of catching someone, whom everyone praised, doing something wrong.
As he studied the alarm clock, his right eyebrow rose in surprise. Despite being a Muggle device, all of the button labels indicated something far more serious than simply keeping time. Hermione found herself burning in resentment as he continued to study it, easily learning its secrets. How dare he show up and ruin everything again! She thought as the frustration built. The next drop off point is a year from now! I'll have to hide and hope I can sneak into the right pickup point at the right time! Desperation also rose in her. And that will only work if I have the alarm clock with me!
Professor Snape lifted his gaze from the clock and gave her an amused smirk. "It would have been you wouldn't it? Meddlesome girl." Hermione glared at him. His eyes flicked to the half-completed message on the wall. 'Too many promises, too many vows, the past marches on…' Locking eyes with her, he finished the sentence. "'And protects the future.' Really now Miss Granger, was that the best you could come up with?" She opened her mouth to snap off a comeback but her mind froze. How did he….?
Again he smirked and then pulled out a sheet of yellow paper. On it, she recognized one of the many messages she was to deliver. "No of course not, this nonsense must have come from the Headmaster." The shock of seeing the paper restarted her brain. She tried to ignore her resentment and began to reason with him, "My mission sir, is to…" He cut her off…Again. "Is irrelevant Miss Granger, I assure you."
Hermione gave up on trying civility and politeness and took a leaf out of Harry and Ron's book. "Look I'm sure you'd like to indulge a bit longer in your petty gloating, because you're so clever," she bit off the words "but thanks to you I'm trapped here for another year before I can leave and have failed to successfully complete my mission. So if you don't mind you great bloody git give me that alarm clock back so that I have a chance of surviving this mistake!" Panting after her loud rant, she did feel slightly better and more in control. Perhaps the boys have a point.
Still looking rather full of himself, Professor Snape changed his baring subtlety, somehow seeming to loom over her though he hadn't moved from the other side of the room. "Seeing how you are quite understandably distressed I'll over look your…outburst Miss Granger." His condescending tone made her want to scream but she settled for glaring at him. If looks could kill… "However, you did not fail in your 'mission' merely completed it early." He continued as if they were talking about a simple potion's assignment.
Using his wand, he tapped on the top of both her wand and the alarm clock. "Since it was my life you were taking liberties with, even under orders, and seeing as your previous assignment is complete, I want you to run an errand for me." Anger and curiosity warred in her but hating a teacher, even one so patronizing, was still new and could not hold out against eighteen years of having to know something. "What sort of errand, Professor?" Hermione asked suspiciously. Habit dictated her speech patterns as well.
With a minimal flick of his wrist, he sent the alarm clock back to her and she caught it like a lifeline. The time was set to leave in one minute. She looked up at him in horror. If he had changed the spell's program too much, she may never get back to her own time. Seeing her expression, he sighed in exasperation. "I added a new pickup and drop off point. After you have completed my task the next pick up point will take you to this exact spot one year from now, with fifteen minutes in which to make your next one." He held up a hand to prevent any protest she could form. "The pickup place is here, the date will be June 1, 1977 at ten in the morning. I'm sure I don't have to stress what will happen if you are late." He floated her wand back to her and finished, "good luck Miss Granger." The clock began to beep.
Panicking, all thoughts of anger left. "But you haven't told me what I'm to do!" She said rather desperately. He lifted an eyebrow and smirked at her "What you do best, interfering in things that do not concern you." With that cryptic statement ringing in her ears, she was gone.
