Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling, I just borrowed them to play.
I bow to all FF-Authors who have inspired me.
I specially want to thank my wonderful Beta Sempra for her help and encouragement!
~SSHG~
This is the second edition of my story. As Sempra was so kind to mention to me, there were some temporal errors included, so that the timeline wasn't clear. I hope that all readers, who have already marked it as a favourite (THANKS!!!) will still like it.
~SSHG~
Awakening in the Infirmary
"Who are you?" the Potions master asked with a stern voice in the dimmed light of the infirmary.
"Severus Snape, you bloody well know who I am!" the young woman chided him.
"I beg your pardon; I have never seen you before."
She moaned, tried to focus her eyes and addressed the nurse assistant, who was fussing about her. "Could you please tell Poppy or Minerva to kick this thick-headed husband of mine?"
The nurse shot suspicious glances at her. It took her some time to answer.
"Professor McGonagall has to teach classes, Madam Pomfrey has her day off and pray tell, who is your husband?"
The patient sat up, enraged about this blunt attempt at a tasteless joke, and was ready to bully her spouse into the next week as a deep voice interrupted her.
"Yes, please, who is your husband?" Albus Dumbledore's voice came from behind.
"Are you joking, Headmaster? Okay, just to end this silliness: my husband is Potions master Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin House, and I am Hermione Granger Snape, his wife and Arithmancy teacher at Hogwarts."
Dumbledore walked around the bed. "You must be mistaken. Professor Snape is our newly appointed Potions master. He hasn't enough personal experience to be appointed as Head of House."
Hermione inhaled sharply and managed to look at them closely for the first time. The Headmaster seemed to be younger and – as she was able to focus at her husband –
so did he.
"Have you any proof for your words?" the older professor asked.
She reached under her robe and took out a chain with a pendant to pass it to him.
He was instantly transported to Severus, dumped at the feet of the young man, who took the pendant and just marginally looked at it.
Snape completely ignored the swearing Headmaster, who was trying to get back to his feet, before he gave the pendant back to the woman.
"It is the Prince family crest, and you have to be my wife in order to make it work. But obviously we aren't married yet."
She tried to recollect her memories. She must have had a Time-Turner accident. She remembered a duelling club and a spell going wrong: it hit her Time-Turner and then everything went black. Hermione decided to ask the obvious.
"So please tell me, in which year do you live?"
Severus and Dumbledore exchanged glances. The old sorcerer cleared his throat and glanced at the curious nurse lingering in the background.
"Why don't you and Severus take this discussion to a more private place? In the dungeons perhaps?"
After some unsuccessful attempts to walk on unsteady legs, the headmaster summoned a cushioning cloud and dressed her appropriately with a flick of his wand.
The younger man nodded in agreement and led her to the warded rooms of his private refuge.