Future
Written for Jenny
Snape/Luna
"What is that around your neck?" Severus demanded. His eyes were locked onto an hourglass on a long, thick golden chain.
"This?" Luna glanced down at the heavy necklace around her neck. "It's a time-turner."
Severus looked between the pair. "And why do you have a time-turner?" he asked, his voice soft and dangerous.
"To time travel," Luna replied simply, her fingers absentmindedly moving down the golden chain. "That's why we're here after all."
"And you weren't going to tell me?" Severus asked.
"We didn't know if we could trust you," Hermione said, shooting a look towards Luna, slightly exasperated that Luna had given up the answers so easily. "We still don't know. We would have, eventually. You shouldn't just burst into rooms without knocking."
"Pray tell me what I've done to cause this mistrust?" Severus asked, ignoring Hermione's comment about knocking first.
"It's not what you've done, it's what you're going to do," Hermione said. "Severus, we know the future. We know your life until the point where you die. I was there when you took your last breath."
His black eyes flicked between the pair and they could see the uncertainty in them. "Do I… do I die happy?" he whispered.
"No," came her curt answer. "But we can change things, Severus."
"Lily?"
"She'll be dead in a few years because of your actions. Choosing the right side means you're allowing her to live longer. You'll allow her to raise her son. You won't be the one to find her dead body. You won't be the one to set Voldemort on the path which leads to the death of her and James."
Severus' lip curled at the mention of James' name.
"This is an important moment," Luna murmured, her soft lilt quickly drawing Severus' focus. "This moment is where we change history. Maybe you'll be nice to your students this time around?"
"Students? I'm a professor?" Severus asked curiously.
"A potions professor," Luna confirmed. "Though you weren't very impressed with my style of potion making."
Severus raised an eyebrow at her. "Is anyone impressed by that?" he asked.
She just smiled in response. "I prefer watching you work," she insisted. "I like watching how your hands move when you're making a potion and the concentration you put into it. I like the enjoyment in your eyes. You look happy when you're at the cauldron."
"Does it stay that way?" Severus asked, his voice softer than before. "Surely something in my future made me happy?"
"It did, though I think you hid it better," Luna said. "You should join us, Severus. You can protect Lily. You can protect yourself. You can be happy and have a future."
Luna reached out, taking his hand in her own. The mask Severus tried to hide behind faltered at the touch.
"These past few months of getting to know you show us what a kind, caring person you are deep down, even if you try to hide it. We want to give you the future you deserve. Not with Lily, but maybe one day you'd be able to find someone else?"
He continued staring at her hand in his own.
"Perhaps I will," he whispered.
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