A/N: WOW! I am flabbergasted at the amount od response the fisr installment of the story received. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much for your response be it a review, a favorite or follow or simply just a read. To those of you who expressed a concern regarding the length of the installment let me just say that I am trying my hand at writing longer chapters as well as at a short story. I don't want this story to be more than five chapters at most, but I want to get the whole story out so yes it will be a tad lengthy. To those of you who pointed out things for me to edit, thanks so much, I will look into fixing those errors as soon as possible. Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this next installment.

Hermione made her way down to the kitchen several hours later, having composed herself and calmed her racing thoughts. She had resolved herself to the fact that her actions had changed the course of time. Of course things would be different. It had been easy to accept that she was supposed to marry one of the Black wizards, she had always been attracted to Sirius and she knew she got along with him…

The hardest part for her to accept was that her parents had been killed when she was only one years old and that by effect she was raised as all but Snape's own daughter. That was really weird, but she supposed if she thought about, she hadn't warned him in the past to find somebody else to fall in love with, just something that made him happy, and she supposed that she was it for him. She could tell by the tender way he had regarded her that her former professor turned father figure had a lot of love in his heart for her.

And what a relief it was to her that Harry had his parents and they were not fighting against a dark Lord and that her friends and allies were all okay. It seemed odd though, because Sirius had mentioned something about her being in another house, but he had not told her which one, so she wondered how close she really was with her friends. She assumed that she would have been in Ravenclaw, even in her own timeline the hat had wanted to place her in Ravenclaw.

She sighed as she appeared in the kitchen and Sirius looked up with a soft smile. "Hello Kitten."

"Hullo." She replied. "Where is everybody?"

"Regulus is away sulking in the library and Snivillus had to leave."

"I wish you wouldn't call him that," she scolded with a deep sigh.

"I know, you always say that." He admitted.

"So why do you?"

"Old habits die hard I guess. He never has been and he never will be my favorite person." He explained.

"Would you tell me a little bit more about how I grew up?" She asked deciding to change the subject.

"Sure Kitten." He agreed. "You were a cute little girl, very sweet and always wanting to learn about something, even if I don't much care for him, I do have to admit that you were Snape's pride and joy, even if you were not of his flesh and blood. The only thing that deterred from your cuteness, was your wild curly hair that no matter what spells Severus attempted or what tactics the house elves use remained untamable.

"Oi! Don't diss the hair." She complained and he laughed.

"Well it's true. You were able to develop friendships earlier on in your life because of growing up in the wizarding world. Regulus and I were obviously connected to Severus because our fates were entwined with your warning and Regulus was actually friends with him, so you grew up thinking of us as Uncles, at least until you were old enough to understand that one day you would marry one of us. Snape was friends with the likes of Malfoy, Nott, Parkinson and Zabbini due to him having been a spy for Dumbledore, and after the war when those three paid their fines for having followed him, remained friends, so Draco, Pansy and Theo and Blaise are close friends with you. You spent a lot of summer's running around with that lot. But then there was also Harry and the Weasley clan, Snape still harbors love for Lily and while heartbroken that she choose James, had decided that having her in his life as just a friend was better than not having her in his life at all. He is like an uncle to Harry so oftentimes where you went Harry followed, and where Harry went at least two of the Weasley's were in tow. Your best friends remain Harry, Ginny, Pansy and Luna, the girls you do things like shopping and sleepovers with, while Harry is more like a brother to you."

"It's really weird to think of having grown up with all of this. I mean my Harry was like a brother to me anyways so that isn't much different. But Draco, and those likes were our rivals, and we were far from friends. "

"Yes, you are a bit different than the witch I've spent the last eighteen years falling in love with." He said.

"Is that bad?"

"No, no of course not, but it is hard to explain things that she would have known."

"I can only imagine, I think it's difficult for us both. I realized that I changed so much when I came back and warned you."

"Tell me." The wizard requested.

"Well when I went back in time, I was in the middle of fighting a war, I was hiding out here actually with Harry and Ron trying to hunt down the rest of Voldemort's horcruxes. Snape was a miserable double-agent and potions professor, and you had been killed at the department of mysteries, the ministry had been overtaken by deatheaters and the world was in chaos. We were on the run. I should have been in my last year at Hogwarts, but were undesirables and were to be captured on sight, so we couldn't be at school, or in any one place for long. But now, I find out that the war was over long before I even started my first year, that I'm not a muggle raised child and the likes. I hadn't expected that my warning would have really saved all of your lives, I suppose I must not have thought about it before acting."

"It sounds like a lot for you to have endured for being so young." Sirius commented.

"By that point we were so used to it. My first year I fought off a troll, or well I watched as Harry and Ron fought off a troll, tricked a three headed dog, got stuck in devil's snare, attacked by charmed flying keys and solved a treacherous riddle to avoid being poisoned and was nearly killed by a giant, live version of wizard's chess, all so Harry could get the Philosopher's stone and put off Voldemort's return. In my second year I was petrified by basilisk venom from the giant snake being loose in the school thanks to Ginny having been influenced by Tom Riddle's diary and Harry and Ron opened the chamber of secrets to kill the Basilisk and destroy the diary. My third year I fought of a werewolf, used a time turner to save your ass and prevent the execution of Buckbeak the hippogriff." She paused to take a breath.

"Merlin, you sure got into trouble." Sirius commented.

"That was only the first three years. In fourth Year, we hosted the tri-wizard tournament and Harry was one of the four champions because some deatheater impersonating mad-eye moody entered his name in the goblet of fire. He fought a dragon, saved two people from the depths of the black lake and conquered the maze only to be trapped and involved in a blood ritual which brought Voldemort back and watch his friend die. In fifth year nobody believed him that he-who-must-not-be-named had returned was ostracized by his peers and the students suffered the reign of terror of Delores Umbridge, who aside from not teaching anything in DADA, posted all of these horrific rules just to punish children and used blood quills in her detentions. So Harry, Ron and I formed what we called Dumbledore's Army to build up our defense, we walked into a trap in the department of mysteries and battled with deatheaters and we watched you die. Then in sixth year, Harry and Dumbledore were hunting horcruxes and we were preparing for war. I already told you how I spent my seventh year." She finished and Sirius was looking at her in awe.

"That doesn't seem particularly fair." A new voice said from the doorway and both turned to face Regulus.

"No perhaps not, it's never right for children to be forced into dangerous situations, and we were kids fighting in a war, but it was necessary. Without us Voldemort would have won, and I'd likely have been dead." Hermione queried. Both wizards were silent, so she added. "I'm very glad that the world I came from didn't come to pass and that it wasn't the experience your Hermione would have had."

Severus emerged from the black acrid smoke of his apparition with a swoosh of his black robes as he took great strides to where the lady stood. It was true that there was no love lost between himself and many of the dark lord's followers, and it was no different with the lady's followers. But it was obvious to anyone present that Severus Snape absolutely loathed the Lady, and that she wasn't too keen on him either. He was however, far too useful to be killed so she tolerated him, and as a double agent trying to protect his only child, adopted though she may be, Severus got his own use out of serving the newest dark power in the Wizarding World.

The Lady made her usual cackle as he approached her throne where her mass of crazy unkempt black curls rivaled that of her insane disposition.

"Snape. Good, now the meeting can begin." Bellatrix said from the center of the room where her minions assembled around her.

"My lady." Severus begrudgingly acknowledged.

"Tell me, Severus, where can your ickle little mudblood be found?"

"I assure you that this is information I do not know." Severus lied.

"Can't say that I actually expected you to tell me. I mean you never did confess to being a traitor in the last war either, but I knew then as I know now." Bellatrix barked.

"If you believe me to be a traitor prove it." Severus said bravely.

"Crucio." The lady shouted enraged to be challenged and Severus fell to his knees. He refused to give her the satisfaction of screaming but the pain was excruciating and therefore the dark haired wizard retreated into his own memories.

Severus had always found the visitor from the future rather peculiar. In the six years since she had shown up, knowing things Severus still had not revealed to anybody else, (if you didn't count those who witnessed his exchange with the witch), he had often thought about her warning.

The witch had told him to find joy, and even now he wondered how. His one true love, had married another and she was it for him. He was never particularly social, Lily had been one of his only friends, and then there was Regulus who seemed to look up to him and was a source of companionship in school. But it was becoming harder to maintain that relationship when Regulus was putting on the airs of an aristocratic snob that was too good to be marked. Severus bore the horrible black etching on his own forearm that signified he followed Voldemort. Regulus didn't and even though publicly showing unity in the views the dark lord so readily displayed, the performance was one which meant that associating with a marked servant was beneath him much less a half-blooded one at that.

So Severus relied on the social functions that were the dark lord's revels and his staff meetings at Hogwarts. Lucius Malfoy and Thoros Nott took an invested interest in him but of course they didn't know that everything they revealed to him where whispered into the ears of Dumbledore. He was a double agent and if it were to be discovered his so called mates would throw him into the dark lord's path themselves. So he didn't consider that he had friends, he had comrades on both sides, Dumbledore and his order and Voldemort and his deatheaters and his role was to play both sides like a fiddle.

Because the wizard felt his peril he often would recollect on the message he had been given when still a boy. That he should find joy. He laughed at the concept, how could one find joy in a dark and dangerous world when one had no friends and no love?

It was such a moment that Severus found himself passing the time in his quarters when an owl pecking at the window called forth his attention. A missive from Dumbledore attached to the leg of a castle barn owl directed Severus to attend to a ministry summons in his place. Snape sighed loudly, hating the ministry, but doing as the Headmaster bid him.

When he reached the department of magical law enforcement as instructed it wasn't for the reason he anticipated. He thought it might have had something to do with his role as a spy, but what he found was a baby girl, wild hair literally throwing blue sparks of magic as she threw fireballs at the feet of frantic aurors. He was shocked at the sight, never had he encountered a child with so much power.

"Snape." Someone called out his name and he turned to face his hated rival, James Potter.

"Dumbledore sent me. What is this?" He asked trying very hard not to sneer.

"This is a muggle baby, or what is obviously a muggle-born witch bursting with more accidental magic than five young wizards alike."

"Yes but why is she here?"

"Her parents were found murdered, bodies covered in blood. The trauma of what was inevitably their horrific deaths must have set off the magical energy, and this lovely little girl just killed two other muggles and burned down half her house. As a witch we are waiting for her magical outburst to settle until we can figure out what to do. I was hoping Dumbledore would know but he sent you". James explained.

"I see." Severus said.

"That girl deserves a home, but with power that strong I fear nobody will take her in." The Gryffindor mentioned. "I wouldn't, not with Lily and Harry to protect. So unless you have another solution, as soon as this tantrum is over it's off to the muggle child welfare association with her."

"What about her parents relatives?" Severus intoned.

"The Grangers were only children, and Hermione here has no living grandparents. She is technically now a ward of the city just as soon as the muggle authorities are alerted after the DMLE is through with cleanup."

Severus started at the revelation. First of all the name. Hermione. Granger. Hermione Granger. The same name as the girl who had come back in time to warn him. And she was only a baby. An orphaned one at that. He felt an instant need to protect her from the cruelties of life. He may not have been an orphan himself, but he knew well the effects of neglect and child abuse and a sentence of becoming a city ward did not bode well for the chances that little Hermione's life would be void of them. He knew that Dumbledore would be furious and confused by his decision, and the thought of what the dark lord would say or do made him cringe, but Severus's mind was made up. He couldn't subject the girl to a life devoid of love like his was.

"I'll take her." He said, and James stared at him openly, mouth agape in shock. In case the dunderhead didn't hear him correctly he repeated. "I said, I'll take guardianship over her. She is a witch she belongs with her own kind."

"I can't say I agree more." James muttered. "Very well Snape. I'll get you some paperwork to sign but then she is officially your ward."

Severus maintained his cool outward expression but on the inside he was shaking in fear. He had never in all his life opened himself up to anybody, he had no true close friends, and nobody he trusted exclusively without condition. His whole life he had relied on himself, taken care of himself, been content by himself, on his own, alone. He didn't consider himself to be a caring man, and yet here he was one glance at a baby threatened with growing up in an orphanage and he was jumping into the role of a parent. He had never been responsible for anyone other than himself and now this child's life was his to care for. The thought was terrifying. But none-the-less Severus signed the papers and picked up the child. The moment he did the baby stopped sparking energy in her magical outburst and gave him a smile and a sloppy giggle and the dark haired wizard was lost to her. He felt something akin to love, something he hadn't felt since Lily...

Severus writhed on the floor from the pain of Bellatrix's crucio but he still wasn't screaming. After an hour the dark witch grew bored and stopped the curse.

"Next time I ask you a direct question do not lie to me." She hissed at him.

"I did not lie, my lady." Severus replied once again finding his voice. "I do not know where she is. She ran away when she found out I was serving you and that I served the former dark lord and we haven't spoken since. That was over a year ago. I don't know where she is, or who she is with."

Bellatrix screeched her displeasure and then stormed from the room, and soon after the rest of the followers disappeared themselves, leaving Severus very much alone. He laid there on the cold, dirty floor, soiled with his own bodily fluids and thought that he is grateful for his memories that took away most of his pain, or at the very least took his mind away from the pain, kept him sane. Because as he laid there his body shook with the spasms of the torture curse's aftereffects, and it seemed as if his entire body was so stiff with hurting that the pain had crept into his very bones. He wondered briefly if he would ever never not feel pain again. He had been no stranger to punishment at the hands of Voldemort, but for Bellatrix it was worse, she hated him, she didn't trust him, and she loved torture so not only did she mean it, but she got off on it, and therefore her crucio was far worse than that of his former master.

A voice broke his wallowing in the darkness. It was only a quiet whisper so Severus thought maybe he had been imagining it.

"Severus." Just his name, so quiet it was almost a prayer. Then it came again a little bit louder so Severus knew it was real. "Severus are you okay?"

It was Draco.

"Draco?" Severus groaned out.

"Yeah. You okay?"

"I will be." Severus said in an attempt to stand strong.

"What can I do?" Draco asked urgently.

"Protect her. Protect my daughter." Severus whispered his reply.

"I swear it." Draco promised and then Severus was once again alone.

Hermione was carrying a tray of tea upstairs to the library. She had sensed tension between the two brothers she was currently residing with, and while she figured there was some secret they were keeping from her, and as much as she wanted to figure out what, it wasn't her motivation.

She had known Sirius in her own time. He was different now in ways, events that had happened in her time had not here and so certain events that had shaped his personality that she was used to, hadn't here. She realized, and looked forward to getting to know him more and discover what was changed, but she didn't know Regulus, not at all. And she wanted to. If she was going to end up marrying one of them she wanted to know them both very well, to give them both an equal chance.

Regulus had looked very upset when he realized that time had caught up. Originally she had thought it was because he and her alternative self were close, which she had come to know they were, but not anymore so then her alternative self and Sirius. Then Hermione had realized that the wizard was probably struck by the fear that because she had a past that involved Sirius that she would be more comfortable with him, and he was probably hurt.

So the witch climbed the stairs to assure him that couldn't be further from the truth. Frankly, her past with Sirius barred her from wanting to spend time with him. She was comfortable around him talking like their beware friends, but he had kissed her, and even though the kiss had made her blood boil with desire, it was very confusing and awkward for her because of her history with him. She didn't have that to cloud her budding relationship with Regulus.

She entered the library and found the wizard in question sitting with his back to her, reading a small book.

"Care for a cuppa?" she asked and quirked a small smile when he jumped slightly from the start.

"Sure." he said and motioned to the seat next to him. "Though I thought you might want to talk more with Sirius."

"Sirius and I did talk, but I wanted to spend time with you. I know very little about you and I would like to." She explained.

"I'm fairly simple. And I'm not at all interesting." He replied.

"I don't believe that for a second." Hermione commented and poured two mugs of the hot liquid. "How do you take your tea?"

"Some white no sugar."

"Me to." She remarked. "Two things in common already."

"Two?' the wizard inquired?

"Two. You like to read, share the same passion for books as I do apparently, and we take our tea the same way."

"Very well. Two things in common." He smiled softly.

"Tell me about yourself Regulus, better yet tell me about us." Hermione requested.

"Not much to tell."

"Please?" Hermione insisted and after several moments he sighed, giving in.

"When I first saw you, and yes I mean you, the witch who came back in time, I honestly didn't know what to think. I don't trust people easily and you were just standing there, staring at Sirius and I after we were arguing, and I didn't recognize you, so I didn't know what to think, I was just suspicious. It wasn't until you explained that you had come back to spare me, somebody you had made it clear you knew nothing of, that I saw beyond mistrust. I was affected by that knowledge, why would you come back to save me when you didn't even know me, and I was honored. I really looked at you then, and what I saw was a beautiful, smart, fiery and powerful witch, with awful hair."

"Oh you wizards with the hair!" Hermione interjected in outraged insult.

"I merely speak the truth." Regulus defended, "When I really looked at you I knew that that was it, that you were the witch for me. And then you vanished. And I spent several years after fighting my brother on that because he felt the same. And I thought I'd never see you again, the mysterious witch from the future. Until you showed up again as a young child, in Severus's arms. When he told us your name was Hermione..."

He cut off and Hermione was quiet, waiting patiently for him to continue.

"It was strange for me to see you as a baby. Mostly because I was in love with you. And while I harbored those emotions, it was awkward and unseemly to have them for a child. It was a different sort of love watching you grow. Of course I did know that one day you would become a Black, either as my wife, or my brother's but it was more the friendship or familial love which grew into more as you got older."

"I had not considered that. But I suppose it must have been really strange to help rear me. I find it unbelievable that you fell in love with me just from my message, nobody ever even liked me in that short amount of time."

"How could I not fall in love with you?" Regulus finally replied and they both fell silent and drank their tea.

Regulus was sixteen when the dark lord had started to recruit him. His mother had already blasted Sirius of the tree for running away to Potter's house, and it had been one year since that beautiful, odd witch had shown up with her strange message of warning.

When she had disappeared, He and Sirius had fought over the fact that he was considering joining Voldemort, but he insisted that he had not been thinking of doing so, and then the siblings had argued over the girl. It had been a year full of his wild imagination of a future with this girl and a year not spent thinking of the war that was brewing.

But when he began to be recruited, Regulus remembered what the girl had said, and despite the pressure from his mother, and that his ally and friend in his house had joined, and that the other boys in his house were joining as well, Regulus didn't.

He had looked his mother in the eye and told her he was a Black, of the Ancient and most Noble House of Black, the only male heir of the house, and that he was far above some half-blood that could one day be minister. He wouldn't subject himself to becoming a servant but that he did respect the views the wizard held. Walburga had thought that was a good point and then doted on him for upholding their family honor.

And then he was twenty years old, and five years had passed since he refused to be marked and he was still alive, he was often still recruited, but he simply responded that he could throw money at the cause and not mar his skin, to which most laughed.

He was never in the same room with the dark lord and did a good job of avoiding the circles of people who were closely associated with him, including his old friend Severus, whenever it was possible to do so. He assumed that his tenacity with avoidance is partially what kept him alive, he was clever and good with twisting his words to manipulate his end goal, but lies and cunning only got a wizard so far. He had to also be always alert always on guard. He was good enough to be able to talk himself out of a tough situation, but why should he find himself in a tight spot to begin with?

Six years had gone by since he had been warned off joining the ranks that so many of his peers had been sucked into, and he was surprised that for the most part he was able to get away with it.

He had been told that his lack of being marked was an annoyance to the dark lord, he felt insulted that the House of Black didn't want to join his ranks, to which he had replied that his house most certainly did serve, Bellatrix was one of his most loyal and he and his parents contributed copious amounts of galleons to his cause, as well as were paving the path for him in the ministry. And whomever relayed the message really couldn't argue the point.

Though he could see that the dark lord's ire was increasing with him. He wanted bodies to serve him, to be his army, and while money was helpful, marked servants also contributed sums and still fought in the war. Regulus was beginning to fear that he wouldn't be able to go on as he had, that he would either have to join or die... and then Severus showed up with a baby girl...

A baby girl named Hermione. A baby that drew the attention of the dark lord, because Severus his spy, and resident recluse was now a parent, and it was so unexpected it was laughable. But it was also a distraction away from Regulus's lack of being marked. With Hermione around, he was intrigued and concentrating more on Severus to be bothered by the details of a seemingly loyal but unmarked pureblood wizard. And Regulus knew then that chances were high that he may just survive this after all.

The floo roaring to life in the library jarred Regulus from his deep thoughts. Hermione who had just reached for a little crumpet from the table dropped it on the floor having been startled by the sudden sound breaking the silence in the room. Emerging from the fireplace as dramatically and frantically as the sound of the floo had unsettled the peaceful atmosphere of the library was none other than Draco Malfoy.

Hermione shot a glare in his direction which the blonde didn't notice, or pretended not to, but old habits die hard, and no matter the fact that she was supposed to have been nearly life long friends with the boy now, he was a rival in her own time, and it was hard for her not to see him that way. luckily the witch managed to repress the sneered 'Malfoy' comment from leaving her mouth.

Before Sirius could make it to the library to see what was going on, or Regulus could move his hands across his throat as a signal to not say anything, Draco was relaying his message and Hermione was finding out that her wizards had been hiding things from her.

"I've got a message from Severus," drawled Draco arrogantly. "He seem to think Hermione here needs more protection. Anybody care to tell me why?"

"Fuck." the two brothers groaned in unison.