There was just a small amount of choke in Hermione's voice as she spoke to him, "Just another week, Fred, and we're out of school... What will we do then? Get jobs here?" she blinked at him, mind swarming with unwanted thoughts of their future and this past.
"I... I suppose that's the only option, Hermione," Fred started, the same amount of nervousness building in his own throat, "because if we leave school and go off somewhere else, we will... I don't know..."
Hermione swallowed hard and sat down, "What if we do get jobs here after we graduate? That way we'll be close to Dumbledore. More can happen. More can't happen," she thought logically.
Fred nodded a bit, "I suppose you're right, Mione."
"What else is there to do?" George walked in and tossed his bag on the floor beside their couch. He sat on the other side of Hermione and leaned back all the way, eyes closing. "We will have to stay close to Dumbledore as long as possible."
"Why?" Severus sauntered into the Slytherin common room, brow quirked, hair curtaining in front of his face. He was already starting to look like the future Severus Snape's son, or something close to that. Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Nothing, nothing at all," she shook her head quickly, eyes focused on the wall ahead of her. George and Fred exchanged glances.
"Are you all right?" Severus walked closer. Hermione shook her head a bit.
"I don't feel too well, is all, that's it..." she glanced at him and gave him a forced small smile. Fred and George exchanged another glance and then stood at the same time.
"Let us know how you're feeling later," they said together, gave a nod at Severus, and then headed out of the common room. Hermione scowled at them, wishing them ill as the portrait hole slammed shut.
"Having nightmares again?" Severus sat next to her and tried to make contact with her eyes depressed honey eyes. Hermione nodded a bit.
"And other things," she said slowly, mind beginning to turn its focus on him. Severus sighed.
"What other things?"
"None of your damn business!" Hermione snapped, pressure as well as a red pigment filling her skin. Severus looked amazed.
"Fine then, when you want someone to talk to, you know where to find me," he stood and began to walk away, "until then, I suggest a bit of anger management."
Tears filled Hermione's eyes. Her voice was weak, "Wait, I'm sorry."
Severus stopped walking but didn't turn around. He closed his eyes, "Feel like talking?" he said softly.
"Yeah... A lot," Hermione sniffled, wiping her eyes with a hand. Severus turned his head slowly, followed by his body, and then he walked and sat next to her.
"Let's star-" Hermione jumped on him, almost literally. She shook all over, head buried in his neck. Severus shifted her into his lap after he had recovered from shock. "It's okay... Don't cry," he said softly.
Hermione groaned, "How do I not cry? I miss home... I miss home..."
"Why don't you go visit? Graduation is in a week, anyway! Then you'll be going home."
"No... You don't understand... I can't go home," Hermione sobbed.
"All right..." Severus held her closer. Hermione buried her face a little deeper, sobs coming in shuddering gasps.
About an hour later, Hermione woke to a warm, muscular, seemingly still young man stroking her hair from her face. She felt tearstains on her cheeks and she reached up with a hand to wipe her eyes before she opened them, accidentally brushing hands with him. Her honey eyes shot up to his dark ones as her face went hot, "Sorry..."
Severus shook his head a bit and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, "Don't be."
Hermione let a slow smile creep on her lips as she leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek, but he turned his head and caught her lips. He let out a soft sigh and deepened the soft kiss. Hermione tilted her head, eyes closing slowly as her hand traveled up his chest to cup his cheek.
Severus broke the kiss gently, "Thank you."
Hermione laughed softly. "Don't thank me... You stole that one," she grinned, eyes sparkling before she leaned in to kiss him again. There was silence for a few moments before...
"Wooo!" Fred grinned and started to back up. Hermione broke the kiss quickly and glared up at him.
"Weasley!" she hopped off of Severus' lap and ran after Fred, tackling him about a foot before he reached the portrait hole. Fred laughed hard.
"Should've known..."
"Try should've knocked!" Hermione beat her fist on his chest rolling off of him to sit on the floor.
"So... Tell me, is Snape a good kisser?" Fred teased. Hermione gaped and slapped his arm.
"FRED!"
Severus snickered and licked his lips once... Strawberries... Lip gloss, probably...
"Aww, look, he's licking his lips," Fred beamed. Hermione went beet red and stood up quickly.
"Get out, Fred!" she covered her eyes, face hot. Fred stood up and made kissing noises at Hermione. "I swear, you are about as mature at Ronald sometimes!" she slapped his rear. "Get out!"
"All right, all right, already!" Fred laughed hard, face red as he jumped out of the portrait hole. Hermione grinned to herself for a few moments before turning back around to Severus.
"Embarrassed much?" Severus smirked. Hermione licked her lips quickly and nodded, the smirk on her face spreading into a grin. Severus laughed.
"Hermione, I have the antidote..." George burst into the common room, cloak flying behind him as he raced over to her.
"What!" Hermione's brow wrinkled and she stared up at him.
"I made an antidote with Remus..."
"So now Remus knows! What the hell, George, you couldn't have asked first!"
"What's going on?" Severus frowned and stood up, walking towards them. Hermione glanced at him and then back at George.
"Yes, Remus knows... He's known for a long time. He told me earlier last week."
"Last week! And you're just saying something now, George, what's going through your head!" Hermione blinked up at him, anger coursing through her body, simply mixed with a tad bit of relief that an antidote could be tried.
"What does Remus know?" Severus narrowed his eyes. Hermione snapped her head around.
"About..."
"My condition," George said quickly. Hermione jerked her head back towards George.
"What condition?" Severus tested, eyes narrowing a bit more as he shifted to one side.
"I'm a werewolf..." George licked his lips. "And Remus knows because he is a werewolf as well, so I guess he saw the signs... And I got the antidote that should help a bit."
"We're just worried..." Hermione added, glancing back up at George. "Give me the antidote, George... We'll test it out tonight at..." she turned her attention to her watch, "about seven..."
"Sure," George pulled the antidote from his cloak and handed it to her in one swift movement. Now George would have to be the one to test it... He would probably be sent back first leaving Hermione and Fred stuck in the past until they could get help. But if Severus found out that they were stuck in the past, he could certainly manage to get some sort of time turner to come get them. But then again, he did know that they were there... Hermione wrinkled her brow in thought, not even realizing that George had already left until Severus spoke.
"Are you all right?" Hermione was yanked out of her thoughts and she glanced up at him.
"Uh... Yeah..." she nodded quickly and tucked the potion away in her robes, trying to figure out why George hadn't told her about Remus. She sighed softly and walked off as fast as she could, golden locks bouncing on the back of her black and green robes. She jogged up the stairs to the girl's dorms and put away the potion before changing into fitted light blue jeans and a tight black t-shirt, pulling her hair up. She then managed to jog down the stairs back into the common room in time to run into the older Severus Snape. She fell back hard onto the floor and he grabbed her hand, pulling her up again. She wanted to slap him. "What are you doing here! Are you mad!" she gaped, eyes wide. Severus shhed her and pulled her to a corner of the room where no one could see them.
"George is back... He told me what happened, not that I didn't know in the first place, obviously," he murmured, arms crossing.
"So you're just now coming here because...?" Hermione narrowed her eyes.
"Things had to play out... And I can't bring you back anyway," he leaned against the wall, an arm above her head to block her in. Hermione could smell his cologne... Too close for comfort...
"What!" Hermione snapped.
"Not everything has happened yet... You have to stay," he licked his lips quickly before he heard his own voice call out to Hermione.
"Hermione? Is that you?" Severus stepped forward and into the shadows, blinking at the back of the man who had Hermione cornered.
"Yes... Erm... I'm a little busy, Severus," Hermione glanced back up at the older version with a soft glare then back at the younger.
"Oh..." Severus crossed his arms. The older Severus didn't dare turn around completely, but shot the younger version of himself a soft glare.
"Excuse us for a moment, son," his voice was its deep, silky, deprived disturbance that made Hermione shivered. She did just that, eyes closing. The younger Severus cleared his throat, nodding his head once before he turned to walk away.
Severus turned back to Hermione. Her eyes were still closed, "Miss Granger."
Hermione snapped her eyes open. Severus narrowed his own onyx eyes. "Be careful," he kissed her forehead and then turned the time turner around his neck, fading from the room. Hermione slouched her shoulders for a moment, massaging the bridge of her nose before she stepped from the shadows and walked over to Severus who was now staring at the coffee table in front of the couch he had collapsed on.
"Sorry about that," Hermione said softly and sat beside him. Severus shook his head.
"That's fine..." Severus nodded. "He was your Potions master, wasn't he?" Hermione froze, blinking ahead of herself. She didn't respond at first, but finally spoke in a cracked voice.
"Yes," Hermione swallowed hard. "He was coming to talk to me about exam-"
"Hermione, why don't you just tell me the truth?" Severus snapped, eyes narrowing at the table.
Her heart jumped into her throat with one graceful leap, "About what, Severus?"
"The reason you got here so strangely... And so suddenly... You are from the future, aren't you? And that antidote wasn't for George... He isn't a werewolf. If that was for George, it wouldn't have been completely black... I know my po-"
"Yes, I know you know your potions... You taught me everything I know," Hermione burst out. "That's why I can't go home... I wasn't supposed to say anything, but it looks as if you've already figured it out. He... I mean... You... Can't take me back home for some reason, and I don't know what that reason is yet, but I guess I will find out soon enough," she stood quickly. "I figured out by being here that you've changed... Not necessarily for the good, either," her voice broke slightly before she began to walk away, but he caught her hand and pulled her back down.
"I... I didn't expect you to tell me anything..." he said softly, "but I want you to tell me everything... But I want you to do what you want... Not what I want.. It isn't about me anymore."
"Severus, all of this was about you in the first place," she let out a bit of a nervous laugh, standing again. "You just don't know.."
"Then tell me, Hermione! Tell me what I don't know!" Severus gaped. Hermione sat again.
"I wanted to find out why you treated me like you did when I was in school... So Fred and George got together to scheme... They were brewing Veritaserum... It went wrong. You left the kitchen, the potion exploded, and we landed nude in the Black Lake. That's what happened, Severus," she said quickly. "And now I think I might know why you treated me like you did in school..."
"I would never want to hurt you, Hermione," Severus said slowly, reaching out to touch her cheek.
"Exactly," she licked her lips. "And you couldn't be in love with a student," she stood once more, but this time she walked away... Out of the common room... Onto the grounds... A peaceful walk by herself... "It's time to reveal the truth."