Prologue: It's All Over.
Severus woke to find his darkening world on fire with tremendous pain. Every laboured breath brought agony. He felt like he was drowning whilst knives painstakingly dissected his neck to shreds. By instinct he fought through it, his flesh demanding the effort.
He'd been having a lovely dream, where everything was white and he drifted, weightless. The burdens of his existence vanished in that place. He'd done his job, and he had allowed himself to believe that he had reached his reward. Nothing was ever so easy, though. Not for him.
Muzzy-headed vertigo made it hard to think as a narrow, pale face swam into view. As if shouted down a well, he heard Lucius' voice echoing weirdly in his ears; "I've dosed you with the antivenom, Snape, and tried the best healing spells I know, but that wound won't close. I need to go and get help."
Squinting, Severus tried to bring his friend into sharper focus. "Lucius?"
Lucius used a handkerchief to mop at Severus' lips, and it came away scarlet stained. "Quiet now. Save your breath. The Dark Lord is gone."
"Potter?"
"He did it, Severus. He walked out to meet the Dark Lord and somehow lived twice. It's all over. You should save your breath."
The worry reflected in those blue eyes made Severus highly doubt he had much time left. Time… is the fire in which we burn. Pain burned in his chest; why did fate have to be so literal? There were too many things left unsaid, undone.
Time!
That might be the answer. If he could just take himself back, he'd be able to do everything over, better. He was sure that he could avoid himself. What were the rules again? Nevermind. If he could just go back far enough, Dumbledore would feel his presence as soon as he broke through. The castle's wards as they were now were shattered, but the intact wards of yesterday would recognize him and alert the Headmaster.
Dumbledore had left a device to Severus in his will, a prototype Time-Turner that the Ministry released to him once Scrimgeour was ousted. A new design, retro-engineered from what texts Albus had access to, it promised to be able to bring the traveller back to the point of origin. The ones lost in the Department of Mysteries battle only went in reverse.
The problem was that Albus' portrait said it never really worked properly and he urged Severus never to use it except in the direst of circumstances. It was experimental, untested. Rookwood had shown it to his spooks in the Department of Mysteries and pronounced it useless; shaky work at best. He recommended that it be decommissioned, but even so, Severus kept it.
Unable to speak, he locked eyes with Lucius' and opened his mind, forcing forward the image of his own breast pocket and the delicate instrument that he needed.
Relief flooded into his friend's eyes. "You already have a plan. I should have known, you old bastard!" Shaking fingers plucked at his pockets, patting the blood-matted wool for clues. "There!"
Thinking that a plan was too strong a word and the confidence entirely misplaced, he waited as Lucius strung the long silver chain about his neck and fastened it there. The pain intensified and his vision was starting to lose colour again. He tried to pull in a deep breath to speak, but it wasn't enough air; he was getting too weak.
The last thing Severus heard as he slipped back into the white fog of oblivion was a strangled, "Shite! This had better work!"
AN: This was written for the sshg_giftfest 2018 and Geminisister's prompt: Severus Snape finds a Time-Turner in his pocket as he lies dying in the Shrieking Shack. He sets it spinning as he drifts into darkness. He does not go back in time but moves forward to meet his fate. How and why has the now thirty-something Hermione Granger, saved him?
The title and chapter titles are from "Wake Me Up" by Avicii.
I want to thank in particular my faithful friends who suffered through this monster project with me; it was written in the space of about six weeks, and these angels took their time to make this presentable.
Beta'd by the fabulous Havelocked and the fantastic ScarletDewDrops.
Alpha'd by the sweet SnapeLove and my saucy Coromandel.
I love you all!