Tempus Ignis

By: PhoenixJustice

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K Rowling, Warner Bros and many other people who aren't me. I only own this story and make no profit from this.

Warning: T for language, slashy situation, etc

Pairing(s): Snarry, mention of Snape/Lily (sort of) and Amycus/Alecto.

Setting: During Deathly Hallows/Mid-Order of the Phoenix

Summary: The time of fire has begun…

A/N: This was written as a thank you present to my good friend Annie (NatsMiniMe) who wrote me a Snarry fic for my birthday (which, incidentally, you can find on ; just look under her penname NatsMiniMe. She's just starting out in Snarry, but she's doing a fine job.)

X-posted at , and fanfiction .net

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Severus Tobias Snape was more than used to being persecuted—he had dealt with it for most all his life; a half-blood (a half-breed, according to the words of some) who was not good enough to stand in the social circles of the pure blood elite, and who was not 'normal' enough to spend time around Muggles. Was it any wonder he had hid his half-blood parentage and pretended (quite well, he might add) that he was as pure-blooded as the next person. His using the moniker 'Half-Blood Prince' was one of the only times he announced that he was half-blooded; a fact that he did not mind then, in school, since no one had knew who the Half-Blood Prince was.

Misguided by his peers around him, he had thought to make a name for himself as Lord Voldemort had done many years before. He regretted the past like few did—with a few exceptions. Lily. Ah, Lily. She had been a bright spot in his bleak, violence filled world. She was the one he had confided in, or she spoke to him, in those times when his father had too much to drink and took it out on his wife and young son; his mother too frightened to be able to use her wand against him. No one had ever been as kind to him as Lily had in those times—though Albus would become that way to him later, a man who had been more father to him than his own, and who he deeply regretted murdering, even if it 'had' to be done 'for the greater good.'

Besides that, one of his only real regrets was in the way that he had lashed out against Lily, jealous as he had been of James Potter, who had been everything he wasn't; handsome,rich, extremely well liked; the proverbial Golden Boy. How could he compete with that? He believed that was one of the reasons that he had joined the Death Eaters in the first place; he would gain power and recognition and he would prove once and for all that he was, and always would be, better than James bloody Potter.

It had backfired immensely and he had gotten himself tangled in a bloody, twisted, web that he had no wish to be in. And worse than that, he had lost Lily, his greatest, and only, friend. Looking back on it, years after the fact, he realized that he did in fact love her, but not in the way that he thought he did. He loved her but was not 'in' love with her. She was a kindred spirit, like a sister to him and he missed that bond with her. He was alone, and had been since then. And now…forced to be surrounded by Death Eaters in Hogwarts, no ally or person he could talk to, or be supported by, as all believed him to be an evil, murdering bastard and only wished for his death.

He was alone.

He makes his way up towards the Headmaster's office—he could never think of it as his—ignoring Amycus and Alecto in one of the corners, much too close for comfort. He opens the stone gargoyle with a wave of his wand and steps inside. It was as Albus had left it; he had absolutely forbidden the others to mess with it (and one of the Death Eaters learned that harsh lesson well) and to stay away from it unless it was an emergency. And as he was Voldemort's 'favorite' (a term that made him ill) he knew that they would obey, for fear of his going to the Dark Lord if they did not.

He hadn't looked through all the odd array of things that Albus had once owned, but decided to do so now. There were an odd array of cards that were filled with strange writing and pictures on them, a hatstand in the corner that would giggle if you tried placing a hat on it, a vast selection of colored stones, not to mention his collection of lemon drops sitting in a nondescript dish on one of the corners of the desk. It was almost too much to bear.

He starts to pass by the cabinet in which Albus' pensieve resided in. It felt almost sacrilige to be touching the Headmaster's things, but he pushes that feeling aside and grabs the handle of the cabinet to open it, and feels a sudden shock course through him. He releases his hold and glances at his palms.

Nothing.

He didn't feel any adverse effects, so there was not any kind of defensive ward on it (a thing that he should have checked before he deigned to open it—he felt stupid for not doing so) but he felt something when he touched it. Gathering his courage (Gryffindors were not the only brave people, after all) he grabs the handles, ignoring the tingling sensation and opens the cabinet; in a moment's notice, the pensiece disappears and in it's place were a letter and a pouch. He picks up the letter with trembling hands, recognizing at once Albus Dumbledore's handwriting. The letter said;

If you are reading this, then I have passed from this world. I am sorry Severus, but do not fear for me; death is but the next great adventure for me. But for you, my boy, there is much more at stake. Not just your life, but the lives of many others.

Inside the pouch I have left with this letter is meant for you and ONLY you. I know I need not fear it getting into the wrong hands, such as Tom Riddle's, for only the light of good may touch this relic. THINK ABOUT THIS CAREFULLY. And use it with care, should you decide to use it; it once belonged to Godric Gryffindor, fashioned for him by Salazar Slytherin. It may help you, or it may not…that is up to you.

I love you, my boy. My son.

Take care.

Yours truly,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Droplets fall on the page and it takes Severus a moment to realize that they were coming from him. He folds up the letter carefully, placing it in one of his many pockets in his robe and gently picks it up, the pouch with the relic that Albus Dumbledore had left for him, and him alone. With a brief hesitation, he gently opens up the drawstring pouch and removes what was inside. It was quite small.

His brows furrow.

It rather looked like a small, golden Time Turner. But why would Albus give him a Time Turner? And how? There were no longer any left (they were being remade after that battle in the Ministry a couple of years ago.) He didn't doubt Albus' cunning (really, the man could have been in Slytherin!) but it was still so unusual, especially the way that this Time Turner looked. …But wait, didn't Albus say in the letter that it once belonged to Godric Gryffindor, which was given to him by Salazar Slytherin? (They HAD once been close, after all.)

Perhaps…perhaps it was a sort of precursor to the Time Turner's of the present?

As Severus starts to set the pouch down, a small note falls out. This, however, was not Albus' handwriting and it looked unfamiliar. It said;

Tempus Ignis. Tempus Terra. Tempus Aqua. Tempus Aeris.

From the end, the beginning may come again.

He mutters to himself the note, trying to figure out what iit was going on about; he understood the Latin (you couldn't possibly be a Potions Master if you didn't know it) but he didn't understand what it was supposed to convey; the pattern was unusual. As he finishes saying the last words on it, the golden Time Turner glows blindingly, causing him to exclaim in surprise.

A sudden memory of seeing those smashed Time Turner's pops into his head and he lets out a shout as a jolt of pain shoots through him. It didn't feel like a normal Time Turner, he had experienced one of those once and it felt like a kind of pressure, not this sharp pain. Finally both the light and the pain dim down. The light disappears leaving him gasping. A sudden noise causes him to look up.

He sucks in a breath. It—couldn't be. Time Turner's could only go back a short period of time. The golden device in his hand was something else entirely. It was the concept of time, and understood…

Albus looks at him with surprised eyes.

"Well hello there, Severus! Might I ask what you are doing here at this time of night?"

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Harry hated his Occulumency lessons, really, what had he done so wrong that he was forced to spend after school time, hour after hour, with Snape? To have to listen to the man's constant verbosity being used against him. Really, the man didn't have a kind bone in his body. Always with that sour look on his face, like he had bitten into a lemon.

What could be so bad, or serious that someone would act so nasty all the time?

Snape just did it out of spite, he was sure. He shakes his head a bit, trying to get those thoughts out of his head; he'd much rather think about nicer things. He looks up suddenly as an elbow knocks into him, and sees that It came from Ron, who was looking at him bewilderedly from underneath his red brows.

"You alright, mate? You've just been staring into space and not eating anything." Oh, right, it was dinnertime; he had rather forgot that, though his suddenly grumbling stomach takes to remind him.

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay." Harry replied, grabbing a bit of the turkey leg on his plate that he had barely touched. "Just got a lot on my mind." Ron starts to reply, but gets interupted as Hermione puts her book down on the table with a rather loud thud. As Ron turns to Hermione, Harry glances up at the Staff Table, and is rather startled when he sees Snape come through the back door and sit himself down at the table.

That was not a reason to be so startled, neither was the fact that Snape was late to dinner, no the reason he was so startled was seeing just how pale the Potions Master looked—much paler than usual (he quite looked as Death warmed over) and how shakily the man was as he lowered himself into a chair—though it appeared that none of the other students noticed this fact—it was just so unlike Snape.

Harry didn't doubt that there had to be times that the Potions Master felt bad or sick but the man didn't show emotions outwardly, unless it was scorn or ridicule. To see Snape so…Harry didn't want to say vulnerable…it was really disconcerting.

Snape seems to realize that someone is watching him and his eyes move over in Harry's direction. The seeker looks away quickly, lest he incur the wrath of Snape, but as dinner comes to a close a short while later, Harry can't help but continue to wonder.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Albus (it was really Albus! He had—when he was able to regain his voice—asked the older wizard a series of questions to make sure he was authentic, and he was) had persuaded him to head to the Great Hall for dinner, commenting on how pale he looked and how the food and enviroment would do him a world of good.

At first he had looked at Albus like he was crazy—he was pretty sure, shaken up though he was, that a room full of children and hormonal, crazy teenagers would NOT help in any way whatsoever. He also, in a hoarse, shaky voice, tried to tell Albus about what had happened—what WOULD happen—namely the fact that of Albus' death (and at his own hands) but the older man had stayed him with a hand and told him "Eat first, Severus. I am sure whatever you need to say can wait a couple of hours longer. Go on, my boy." At that last part, Severus very nearly broke down, but somehow manages to pull himself together and make his way—carefully—to the Great Hall.

After heading through the back entrance, not really hearing the few greetings by McGonagall and some of the other teachers, he takes a seat, wondering how on Earth he could possibly relax. Before he could even THINK of grabbing anything to eat, the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he knew he was being watched closely—he hadn't gotten as far as he had otherwise.

He glances over the tables until he reaches the Gryffindor one, eyes searching until they come in contact with startling green ones, HER eyes—Lily's. Potter was the one looking at him then. Potter breaks the eye contact first and Severus has to keep from letting out an audible breath; something about that gaze had struck him and he didn't understand the shock that had coursed through his body; had it been because Potter had inherited Lily's beautiful eyes and he had been thinking of her shortly before—this strange occurance had happened.

Whatever the reason, he was almost thankful for the distraction—his mind had been full of heavy thoughts as of late, well heavier than usual, and this almost felt like a reprieve.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Harry settles in one of the armchairs near the fireplace in the Common Room, trying to concentrate on his History of Magic homework (which was as nearly boring writing, as the actual class was) but with the combination of settling food (which tended to make one sleepy) and trying to keep his mind away from The Snape Mystery, it was all but impossible to get any work done. That, and the fact that his hand was still sorre from the last detention he had with Umbridge.

She was beyond cruel; hell he had thought SNAPE was bad, and well, he was, but Umbridge was something else entirely. He couldd still see the line 'I must not tell lies' quite clearly on the back of his hand. He had to try and keep from getting another detention, but it was hard; Defense Against the Dark Arts was a class that was going nowhere, and Umbridge was cruel to everyone; it was part of the reason that he kept all the ire on himself, so others wouldn't suffer her cruelty.

To show her, and the idiot Ministry who hired her, that they couldn't keep the students down, no matter how hard they tried. With everything that he had been dealing with as of late, with ever more piling up, it was no small wonder that he felt weary. But still his mind searched for more…more…he would learn the truth about SOME of the mysteries he was facing damnit!

Hermione was diligently working on her arithmancy homework (something he couldn't make heads or tails out of) and Ron had given up all pretenses on acting like he was doing his homework, and was currently engaged in a game of Exploding Snap with Fred. Other than that, the Common Room was much quieter than usual, with only a couple of other Fifth Years, George Weasley, and Lee Jordan (both of whom were egging on their pieces in a game of Wizard's Chess) in the room, and Harry was rather grateful for the relative quiet.

It made concentrating on his homework slightly easier. Now if he could only figure out the rest…

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Now normally a Time Turner simply (if you could call time travel 'simple') took a person to a period of time not long ago (the best Time Turners had been known to go back a span of many months, at best) but the device that he had activated had apparently acted different in a few ways that he wasn't aware of, until moments before, when he headed back to Albus' office to talk to him once more.

He hadn't 'merely' traveled back a couple of years (which should not have been able to do) but had effectively taken the place of the Severus Snape of this time period, his essence melding with that of the other. "So that rules out your returning to your own time period, Severus. At least until another solution can be worked out." Albus remarks, arms crossed behind his back, standing at his balcony and gazing at the stars beyond.

The sight of Albus near the balcony brought back the memories of watching Albus' lifeless body get blasted over it; it was almost too much to take. "But I rather think that the time might very well be a better time than the one you left—perhaps you were meant to come to this particular time for a reason."

Severus snorts, unable to contain himself, bleak thoughts momentarily forgotten. "I highly doubt that."

"Nevertheless," Albus continues, turning and coming back inside, holding Severus' gaze as he retakes his seat. "You are here—for an indetermined time, no less—and I would HOPE that you might become a little less harsh on yourself and RELAX, if only by a small amount."

You might as well ask the Dark Lord to off himself Albus, thought Severus. But he didn't say it.

Maybe…maybe, if he was lucky, INCREDIBLY so, he might find that ever elusive thing that he had always been so hard pressed to find; a little piece…of peace.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Harry slipped out of the Common Room as quiet as possible; although he was currently under the Invisibility Cload, he could still be heard. It was past time for sleep, which is what all his roommates were doing, and here HE was, sneaking around the near silent castle for a reason he couldn't really place. He had been sleeping in bed, tossing and turning all of a sudden, feeling the need for air. He wasn't sure what was causing his sleeplessness; it wasn't like he hadn't been tired when he went to bed, and he hadn't had any nightmare or anything.

It was all sorts of odd. Either way, he continues his aimless search down the hallway, his thoughts jumbled and mixed up. He was so distraccted that he didn't notice an almost equally distracted person walking by. He slams into the side of a person, who lets out a soft grunt. Harry lets out a gasp as he falls back, Cloak falling off in the process, falling to the side. "Potter?" A faint voice calls out.

He looks up and his eyes widen at the sight of Severus Snape looming over him. Oh, he was dead, he was MORE than dead. Snape had been waiting on pins and needles for as long as he could remember, to find something concrete on him, to get him expelled.

Harry scrambles up, eyes frantically looking around before looking at Snape's face. Snape's face looked…not so gleeful? As if Harry couldn't be surprised any further…

"What are you doing?" Snape's face looked rather solemn, if truth be told.

"I—I, uh…" Oh how eloquent Harry, he thought. Me Harry, me smart, me make big words. Snape takes a step forward.

"You need to go back to your room now." Snape replied quietly.

Yes, something was most definitely up with Snape.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

He hadn't expected to run into anyone at this time of night, especially Potter. It had thrown him off, more so than actually running into him, to see the boy. The startling green eyes staring at him, in shock and surprise, but surprisingly not in hostility. That alone was an unsettling feeling; he was not used to seeing Har—Potter's eyes look at him with anything but resentment and anger. With all the things that he had been going through the past few hours, the last thing he needed to see was Harry Potter, those eyes piercing through his very being.

Standing in the moment, it made Severus think of those eyes as Harry's, not Lily's. In fact the thought of Lily does not pass through his mind as he moves closer to Harry. Too dangerous; too much, too soon…he was not thinking as clear as he needed to be.

He couldn't stop looking at Harry; it was as if he never saw him before. Before he had always seen only James Potter and his utter hatred of him, that, combined with many other memorues, had left him always angry at the sight of Harr Potter.

But now…but now…

"Go back to your rooms, now." He was trying to tell Potter, to tell him to hurry away…hurry.

"Snape?" asked Harry faintly. He was damned already, for al he had done in his life, so another sin wouldn't add that much to hhis already burdened soul. "Go…hurry." He leans in, hand cupping the side of a startled face. What Harry must think of him…

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Was…Snape trying to do what he thought he was doing? It couldn't be. Yet…the thought didn't repulse him like it might have before. Instead he felt a curiousness mixed with another odd feeling he could not describe. He finds himself leaning forward as Snape leans in, eyes taking in this suddenly solemn Snape, and wondering why he seemed so sad.

Their lips touch; if Harry had thought it would be awkward, it wasn't. It was a kiss of emotions; desperation, hunger, heat, joy, sorrow…so many things which Harry could only fleetingly understand, and some he understood all too well.

He knew more than well what it was like to be alone; maybe he had found a kindred spirit who understood this as well. Snape's arms suddenly wrap around him, pulling him close, mouth crashing down hard over his again and again, and Harry moans, unused to such closeness, but reveling in the feelings that come with it.

Snape too, seemed to be feeling the same way. He wraps his arms around the taller man's neck, letting out a startled moan as Snape's tongue darts inside his mouth. It felt like a flame, burning ever brighter, brighter and brighter as time went on.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

It had happened…(he kisses Harry hard, shocked at the teenager's reaction, but pleased nonetheless)…it was starting…

Tempus Ignis…

The time of fire had begun.

~End~

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

A/N: *gasps* Dear god lol. I spent most of my time writing this by hand, and later at night no less. I wrote it by hand before I finally got the chance to type it down (which I did all at once, and which too a while to do—though it was well worth it.)

I think this turned out well, considering I didn't have any concrete idea on what I was going to write, other than the fact that Severus would end up in the OotP era from the DH one. Other than that, I let the story flow freely and I am glad that I did.

I hope you all enjoyed this! (especially you Annie! lol 3)

Let me know what you thought!

--PhoenixJustice