Thanks for the amazing reviews! I love you guys! And to the guest reviewer "H" I hope your hospital stay is a short one and you make a quick recovery. Thank you LovingPillow for your massive reviews they make me giggle and blush! Alexa, your feels will be ok this chapter!
To answer a question, Juliet returns as 17 years old. Before she left, she had taken her finals and technically graduated Hogwarts, she just didn't get to attend the ceremony. She is legal in wizarding and muggle world.
From here on out, there will little to no flashbacks. Everything is in current timeline.
August 1995
It was raining. He was already in a shit mood. He hasn't gotten any sleep and he hasn't had a proper meal in…well, he couldn't remember. After his morning workout, he had showered at least three times and kept messing with his hair.
Was it too long? Should he cut it? How should he comb it? Stupid. Stupid. She wouldn't care.
Would she?
He growled at his reflection and started getting dressed. That was another whole internal war with himself. Too much black. Was it? Did it matter? He didn't own anything else. Stupid robes and stupid hair.
Should he buy a new set while he was in Hogsmead? No. Money was for Juliet. If she wanted him to wear something different, then he would. No he wouldn't. he was a grumpy old man set in his ways.
Old man.
What if he was a sick old pervert claiming an innocent young girl? He was no better than Black. God damn it. He spent the last seventeen years building their life together, he wasn't letting her go now.
He checked his watch a million times. He needed to kill time before he wore a hole in the rug by the fire.
Kill time.
He scoffed. If he could, he most definitely would. The sick sadistic fucker called time. Or Dumbledore. He could kill Dumbledore. He was in a shitty mood today.
Corvus was being an ass today as well. More so than usual, at least. He repetitively asked Severus if it was time yet. He threatened to stuff him and attach him to a hat for Longbottom's grandmother to wear.
Hogsmead was in a bustle of people shopping for the new school year. He had forgotten all about it. His mood got worse. Parents were doing shopping for their children before the term and he absolutely hated crowds. And it was cloudy, it was going to rain today. That didn't help his shitty mood.
He travelled through the back alleys and side streets to get to the florist. He came once a year, on the anniversary of her departure. Every April he visited the Florist, picked one dahlia and went to the room of requirement. And every year the old florist never charged him.
The first time he came he got three of them, he missed the first two years due to being a death eater and unable to be at Hogwarts. It was the same routine, April 19th he would come to get his flower. Then go to the room of requirement, visit their tree, then go to her spot in the attic of the wand shop.
This was the first year he ever visited more than once. The old florist did a double take and gasped. She rushed to him and asked if she had died or returned.
He told her neither yet but he would inform her once he knew. He picked two flowers this time and left seventeen galleons on her counter despite her protest. One for each year he had come to the shop. He carefully put them in his inner robe pocket and went back to the castle. He went to their tree first.
He ran his hand over the knot in the tree that he carved their initials in. He remembered how she joked that he was so tall he wrote it too high for her to see. Each year he cut another line around their initials to mark another year gone. He pulled his wand out and cut the final mark to complete the circle.
Thunder boomed above him and it started to rain. Hard. He didn't know how much more of today he could take before he started to set things on fire. Intentionally or otherwise.
He pulled his hood up and went back to the castle. He dried himself off with his wand and cleaned the mud off his boots. He checked the watch again.
0 days, 3 hours, 192 minutes, 11520 seconds
The bells from the clock in the hall rang and signaled dinner time. He couldn't eat now, his nerves were all over the place.
He wanted to wait until it was closer to the time she got there before he drove himself mad. What if she was early? What if she came back and he wasn't there like he promised. He broke into a full sprint to the 7th floor. He was grateful the castle was empty or else he would have used his wand to clear the way and everyone would have thought he'd gone mad.
He burst into the room of requirement and looked around wildly. It was empty. He was grateful he didn't miss her but instantly depressed she wasn't there yet.
He took out both of the flowers from his inner robes and walked to the center of the room. The scorch marks on the stone he left 17 years ago were still there. Every flower he had gotten her was placed in a ring around where she left, on top of the burn marks.
He had built a shrine out of it. Holding her on this pedestal his whole life. Praying to her through this holy ground he worshiped.
He placed a forever stasis charm on it and set it down amongst the others, completing the circle of green dahlias. Stepping back and walking around it a few times. He held the other flower in his hands, twirling it and bringing it up to smell it occasionally. It smelled like her but it didn't do her justice.
0 days, 0 hours, 2 minutes, 124 seconds
He stood back by a pillar, hidden in the shadows. The rain had cleared and let in the moonlight. His heart was pounding in his chest. His palms were sweating and he felt nauseous.
His pocket watch timers had gone off and vibrated. He silenced them immediately and pocketed it.
She didn't show.
A million thoughts ran through his head as he plotted the many ways he would kill Albus Dumbledore.
A bright silver light started off small in the center of the circle, hovering four feet from the ground. He stood up straight, his mouth felt dry.
A loud humming noise came from the light and he swore he saw her outline. It got darker and darker by the second. She was flickering into existence in midair. As the light got brighter it hurt his eyes but refused to look away.
The light finally started to fade and she stayed hovering in the air for a few moments with her face to the ceiling and her arms limp at her side. She looked angelic and peaceful to him.
She slowly drifted to the floor and dropped to her knees. Her hands came out and braced herself on the ground in front of her. She lifted her head and looked around, tears covered her face. She started panicking, it was dark and she didn't see him.
"S-s-Severus?" She whispered to the room.
He heard her loud and clear. He stepped out from the shadows and cautiously stood across the room. He didn't know what to do. She sat up on her knees and reached a hand out to him. He slowly made his way closer to her.
Suddenly her face contorted in pain and both of her hands came up to her chest. Her hands clawed at her blouse and she writhed on the floor. She hissed in pain and grabbed the time turner from her neck and broke the chain off.
Severus snapped into action and dropped the flower he was holding. He rushed to her and skidded on his knees. Her hand was burning now and she couldn't let it go, it was melting itself to her skin. He grabbed her hand and pried it open with his own and using his wand. He magically lifted it off her hand and flung it to the ground behind him.
She lifted her free hand and touched the side of his face. He let her and kept his focus on healing her hand. He pulled dittany and salve from his robes and started to apply it to her hand.
He used his wand and a bandage shot out and wrapped itself around her hand. He put his wand away and looked down at her for the first time.
"You're alive." She whispered and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck.
He wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her into his lap. His face in her hair, taking in the scent he missed so much. He missed her touch, more than he ever knew. He couldn't remember the last time he had physical contact with anyone that wasn't her, a medic or someone torturing him.
He felt her go limp in his arms, she was so exhausted that she passed out. He looked down on her sleeping face and finally felt at peace. He stood up and picked her up with him. She was so light in his arms.
Despite everything he wanted right now, he had orders to take her to headquarters. She could rest there, meet with Dumbledore and then they would be free. The sooner he got her there, the sooner they could leave.
He picked up the forgotten flower, the overheating time turner and placed it in a conjured warded phial. Then he wrapped her in his cloak. He carried her out of the room, through the castle and out the doors. He didn't pay any attention to the rain hitting him, he tucked her into his chest with his cloak protecting her from the wind and rain. When he passed the gates and the wards he apparated to headquarters.
He quietly entered the front door and closed it behind them. She was snuggled against his chest. He felt the wards raise their silent alarm and cursed at himself. He forgot about the damn wards! He heard movement in the kitchen and living room.
Shit mood today.
He was met at the end of the hallway by Arthur and Molly first. Their wands aimed at his chest. He turned to shield her away from them.
"What was the first year you taught one of my children and what was their name?" Arthur asked.
"William Arthur Weasley, 1982." Severus replied instantly.
It was a good security question. Hardly anyone could keep up with their family tree.
"Severus. What's going on?" Molly said as she put her wand away.
Lupin and Tonks appeared next. He scowled at the crowd that was forming. He loathed crowds. "Tell Albus I have arrived with the package."
He turned to the stairway and gripped her tighter.
Molly saw two small feet and a bandaged hand dangling from the cloaked bundle he was carrying. She gasped "Who is that? Do they need medical treatment?"
"I've got it handled, tell Albus I've arrived with the package. Now." He growled and turned to the stairs.
He took the stairs two and three at a time and rushed to his room. He sneered at Potter on his way up. Then he kicked the door open and slammed it shut with his heel. He laid her on the bed and pulled his wand out quickly to set his wards on the door and room.
Moving back to the bed, he removed her shoes and his cloak. He brought the blanket up to her chin and tucked her in. He forgot that his bed was only a full size and pushed into the corner of the room.
He had one of the larger rooms with its own bathroom, Dumbledore made sure of that so he could tend to his own wounds in private. They had taken the other full bed for one of the Weasley children. With him being such a paranoid spy he pushed his bed to the corner.
He always slept with his back against the wall, facing the door with his wand under his pillow. Now she was here, in his bed.
He used his wand to dry himself off and took up one of the armchairs by the fireplace. Luckily his room had it's own sitting area. He lit the fire and watched her from his seat.
She was here. He couldn't believe it. He finally had her. He was pissed that she had gotten hurt but she was alive nonetheless. Alive.
What did she mean when she said he was alive? Why wouldn't she think he was live?
Dumbledore
He closed his eyes and rested his hand on his chin that was leaning on the arm of his chair. He tried to calm his rage for the old man. She had gotten hurt because of this top secret mission and he made her believe he was dead.
Before he knew it, he fell asleep.
Harry rushed back to the room where his friends were. He closed the door and waited until they were all huddled close. Ginny and Hermione sat on the bed by the window and Ron and the twins sat on the other.
"It was Professor Snape. He brought someone. He was carrying them." He whispered.
"Did you see who it was?" Ginny asked.
"No, he had them wrapped in his cloak. He was soaking wet. I think it was that girl I over heard Snape and Dumbledore talking about. I saw her hand was bandaged." He said excitedly.
"Do you think she was dead?" Ron asked.
"Professor Snape wouldn't bring a dead girl here, Ron." Hermione said.
"She wasn't awake, that's for sure. I heard Mrs. Weasley ask if she needed medical attention and Snape just said to tell Dumbledore he was here with the package." Harry explained.
"She's dead!" Ron said loudly.
"SHHHH!" they all whispered and hit him.
"What did you over hear from Dumbledore?" Fred asked.
"He ordered Snape to kidnap and kill a girl!" Ron said.
"Will you ever shut up?!" Ginny hissed and threw a pillow.
"Why would he kill a girl?" George ask.
"He wouldn't. That's why we are trying to figure out why he brought her." Hermione explained.
"Why did he call her the package if she wasn't alive?" Harry asked.
"Don't you start too!" Ginny scolded.
"There's only one way to find out isn't there?" Harry said and walked towards his trunk to fish out his invisibility cloak.
"No. Don't even think about it Harry Potter. You'll get in serious trouble!" Hermione said and jumped up and pointed her finger at him.
He held his hands up and said "What if she's hurt? Well she already is! What if he's gonna torture her for information? We're at war, Cedric was a casualty and I won't stand by and have anymore on account of me."
"We'll help!" the twins said.
"But what if she's a Death Eater? Like a bad person? What if he's doing us all a favor?" Ron said.
"Why are you such a prat?!" Ginny yelled.
"One of us has to be thinking outside the box, Ginny! You heard Moody, we're at war and we have to be ten steps ahead of You-know-who!" Ron punched his fist in his other open hand.
"Sometimes we don't know if you're even thinking at all!" the twins laughed.
"No! Just let Dumbledore handle this! If this was something Harry needed go be a part of then he would! At least wait until he gets here and see what happens!" Ginny said.
"Hey, what if his job is to torture her for information and then kill her? Until Dumbledore gets here." Rom suggested.
"You're not helping!" Hermione said.
"Let's ask Sirius. He'll know what to do." Harry said.