These characters are not mine. I gain nothing but personal satisfaction from writing this.


Feathers in Time

Chapter Three

Hermione walked into the house that had once held her parents with a sense that she was not only successful but that something was about to go terribly wrong. Her suspicions were confirmed with the sight of Fred Weasley snickering softly with Lavender Brown. "How- Whe- BOYS?"

Hermione heard a loud scuffle in the kitchen with exclamations of 'shit' and 'Oh fu-' "Hello, you must be the 'Master' they'd mentioned." Fred approached her as she took a step back, not wanting to quite believe that this was happening. Fred was shaky but seemed to be fine. "Hermione, come over here and give me a hug, or so help me-" Hermione dove into his arms, not crying but taking deep gasping breaths. "They said you'd be angry we woke, but they have a good reason, I promise." He grinned at her and shrugged. "Those are some nice blokes you got there."

Hermione rolled her eyes and stepped back. Remus and Tonks were both laying on the floor, covered with blankets, sweating. Hermione rushed to them, taking their vitals and administering potions. "They- you are not suppose to be awake yet. The spell should have held until you were at full health. I dont understand how they even managed to wake you."

"We didn't-"

"We promise."

Hermione glared at the two in the kitchen doorway. "Then explain this to me." Her voice didn't raise, it didn't have any inflection. Just calm and straightforward. The two men looked at eachother and gulped. "Explain how ten...years... of research, let this happen." Fred and Lavender looked slightly shocked at her tone and more so at the frank fear on the two grown men.

"They just woke up. We got here and just like with Moody, they just started waking up."

"Moody's alive?" Fred sounded ecstatic and very amazed, so at least she had that to wallow in.

"Yes, he is. Did you at least remember the memory charms?" Her eyes struck the two with intensity, dark with anger and the need to be back in control of the situation.

"Yes, we got them taken care of. We couldn't be sure about the memories while they were sleeping though. We answered their questions as best we could, the outcome of the war and all that." Hermione nodded and turned a bright smile to Fred and Lavender.

"Do you remember what happened, at all?" Fred shook his head and paused.

"How we got here, or the battle?"

"Do you remember what happened just before you woke up here?" Her voice turned insistent and pleading.

"No, not at all." Fred turned to Lavender and she shook her head negative. "They said you saved us. Saved us from what?"

"Death, I'd imagine." Hermione looked over to Tonks, who had just grabbed her husbands hand, awake and alert. "Hello."

"Hello Mrs. Lupin, how are you feeling?" Hermione waved her wand over the woman. "Any headaches, pain, or heavy discomfort?"

"No, minus feeling like I just slept twelve hours on this floor. We nearly died didn't we?"

"Why would you say that?"

"The last thing I remember was a flash of green and looking into Remus' eyes. Will he be alright?"

"Yes, he will. If you wouldn't mind, while I check him over before he wake, these two men will debrief you in the kitchen." Tonks got up and went with Dolf and McNeign into the dimlit kitchen. The house was covered in candlelight, giving the rooms a different feel from the last she'd seen it lit. Remus began to stir and Hermione tapped her want to his temple, casting the memory charm. "Welcome to the land of the living Remus. We're glad to have you back."

His eyes opened with a start and Hermione helped him sit up. "Where's Dora?"

"She's in the kitchen with two men that will be debriefing you." Remus got up in a hurry and skittered into the kitchen on unsteady feet. "Where's the Professor? Where's Moody?" Fred looked at Lavender, but both shrugged at the brunette. "Great. Dobby!"

"Missus Master Granger, Dobby is here." Hermione looked down to the small house elf with a great deal of happiness. "Dobby would like to be Missus elf, if he could please. A life-debt Dobby never will be able to pay."

"Never you mind about that life-debt, saving you was paying mine. I would be honored to take you on as my house elf." Hermione gave the small creature her hand, palm face up. A thin blue line of magic came from the elf and wrapped itself into her hand. Dobby's face lit up as Hermione took out her wand and gave the small elf a dark blue drape, sashed with a golden tan cloth. "You are now of the House Granger, and I am very honored to include you."

"You don't have a House 'Mione, do you?" Fred's voice was excited and confused.

"I do, it was granted with my Order of Merlin, First Class." Lavender scrunched up her nose in confusion before Hermione saw it work it out behind her eyes.

Hermione dusted off her black clothes and turned her attention back to Dobby. "Dobby, where is Professor Snape and Auror Moody?" The house elf pulled on an ear happily and pointed to the back bedroom door.

"In there Master. Dobby was told not to go in. May I's be going back to the young Creevey now?"

"Yes, but please do not let him know any of what is going on."

He seemed upset about that, but Hermione could understand why. The boy was often an issue. However, the last thing Severus Snape needed to see first thing was someone who he believed dead. But then why was Moody in there? Her eyes widened before moving into action. Opening the back door, she scanned the room for any sign of Moody, as Professor Snape lay in the bed, sweating and panting. A displacement of air brought Hermione's blade from her waist to block the jagged and wicked looking metal aimed for her neck. A clash of sparks had her casting wandlessly.

'Ebublio.'

Moody was suddenly caught in the large bubble, lifting him into the air as Hermione snatched his dagger from his trapped hand. "Constant vigilance, old man."

He chuckled and waved his wand, popping the bubble and landing on his feet. "Very nicely played. Are the others awake yet?"

"Yes, now what are you doing in here?"

"I was just keeping an eye out." Hermione rolled her eyes at the joke, and handed his knife back to him. "Where'd you learn that?"

Hermione froze as she put away her dagger. "I was the one to clean out your flat in the future. I found your old journal and your 'home away from home'."

Moody, instead of being pissed like she thought he'd be, seemed almost bashful at the mention of his hideaway. Hermione had read the journal during her research, hoping to have a better understanding of all that occurred during the entirety of the battle against Voldemort. Instead she found the map to an undisclosed location(she still didn't quite understand where it was), a thick metal house, half buried in the ground. Every time she opened the door, it opened to a different room, and while quite frustrating at first, she realized quickly that one need only turn the handle to change rooms. At first, all was as normal as she expected it to be, until she noticed very faint traces of fresh wood as she checked under the bed. Fresh wood, not like the old and hardened posts that held the cot. A trap door?! Of course he'd have a trap door. Jeez men were dramatic.

Inside held a beautiful room, that immediately started to attack her. It beat her bloody and spat her into the bathroom. She woke in a tub of potions. The next day, she came back and tried again. Over and over. Until she could sit in the room, calmly, and take the oncoming surprises. Of course as soon as she managed that, a light waved over the room and it started all over, harder and stronger. Hermione went there for months before eventually adding to the house and buying the property from the goblins.

"Did you..." His mouth seemed to shrug. "Like it?"

"Oh, Moody I loved it so much I bought it."

"Really?" He was surprised and strangely happy that it went to someone who understood its value.

"Now, I really must check on Professor Snape, so if you would please?"

Hermione shooed him from the room and quietly shut the door behind him. Turning to the dark figure on the bed, Hermione suddenly realized something she really felt like she should have realized a long time ago. Severus Snape was going to be pissed. Not only did she put herself in danger, she plays with time, and he would now(to his mind) owe her a life-debt. Hermione sighed and looked over his pale countenance. That's fine. Let him be angry. She was still going to make sure he stayed alive. His eyelids were dark with insomnia and his lips stained purple from the dreamless sleep that he probably was drinking every night with his fire whiskey.

While asleep, he seemed almost... friendly. Hermione snickered at the thought with a shake of her head. Kind, and at peace. Then again this was probably the first night in a very long time that he slept at all. Guilt from a tiny glimpse of his life. A mere thirty years worth, but in the scheme of things, probably didn't even amount to ten. He was a wizard for Morgana's sake. The lifespan is nearly doubled as compared to a muggle. Thirty years was a fifteen minute walk in the park of a whole twenty four hour day for a wizard.

His sweating went down as did his shallow quick breaths. Hermione barely noticed, watching his features and resisting the urge to remove his tattered robes. His hair was shorter than she remembered, then again, she can attest to the fact that having your head over a potion cauldron does mess with your hair. Perhaps this is how it was when it wasn't constantly barraged with steam from only he knows what boiling away. It looked soft.