Hermione and Severus were gathering herbs when the downpour began, the rain was heavy and almost deafeningly loud around them as they stood staring at one another in shock.

Hermione was the first to react, with a laugh as she looked up at the sky that had seemingly decided to open up on them out of nowhere. Severus was drenched, yet somehow he didn't care, he was captivated by the witch who stood, arms out and face back staring at the sky.

March had settled upon them quickly and soon- sooner than he would like to think they would be finishing school and moving on. Hermione had told him, about her plans to join Dumbledore's Order, he'd agreed, incredibly willingly and they'd managed to have a few meetings with the elder wizard and McGonagall.

He shook the thoughts away, eyes focusing back on the lovely witch in front of him, she was watching him with wide eyes, her smile radiant before she broke into giggles.

"You look incredibly unhappy." She laughed, her eyebrows raised and he shivered, the chill still hadn't quite left the air and this was not exactly a warm shower.

Still he managed to smirk and take three quick strides to the witch, wrapping her in his arms and holding her to him.

"I can't imagine what you are talking about, my Hermione, I find that I quite like the view." He smirked down at her and she glanced down, her robes were drenched and clinging to her and she couldn't fight the blush that forced its way to her cheeks.

"Well, I can't say I have any complaints myself." She hooked her fingers into his dripping hair and pulled him down to her, their lips meeting with a force she never would have expected, the water making their faces slip as their tongues met.

Severus groaned into her mouth, his arms wrapped tight around her and holding her by her lower back as the rain continued to pour around them. Hermione shivered, though for reasons completely unrelated to the rain and her fingers grasped onto his hair, holding on to his head for dear life.

When the pair finally broke apart, panting for breath Severus wiped a mass of drops of water from her cheek and cupped her face with his hands, his black eyes intent on her.

"We should go back into the castle, Hermione." He finally exhaled, looking like he wanted to do anything but.

"I don't see why." She smirked and caught his mouth with hers again, stood on her tiptoes and holding on to him for dear life as he succumbed to another intense kiss from the witch. He couldn't deny, she was most definitely insatiable at times, holding on to him as if they only had a few days more when he planned to give her the rest of his life.

SSHG

The rain that had caught the couple off guard had continued to pelt the windows the entire night and into the next day. It was a Saturday, and as such they were in the library, Hermione curled in a transfigured chair as she read, Severus sat comfortably on the floor in front of her, his back leaned against the front of her chair as he too skimmed a thicker than necessary tome.

The rain pelted the stained glass of the windows, creating a soothing sound that made the harmony Hermione was feeling seem particularly strong.

Her fingers carded through Severus' hair delicately as she read, her book balanced easily in one hand as her eyes devoured the pages in front of her. Severus sighed and leaned his head back to look up at her, if she noticed she gave no indication.

He'd noticed something as of late though, Hermione had become increasingly distant, increasingly somber and he needed to know why. Wasn't a rainy day when she was trapped with him the perfect time to question her?

"I'm going to ask you a question, I want an honest answer." His dark eyes were burning into her and she twitched her discomfort.

Her stomach clenched, her chest tightened. He'd noticed, just like Remus. Gods why did she have to surround herself with such observant people?

"Okay?" She was certain her voice cracked, or was it a croak? She didn't like it either way.

Severus turned to face her, settling his book beside him and plucking hers gently from her hands and placing it down as well as he did so. On his knees he put his hands on the armrests of her chair, effectively boxing her in as he stared her in the face.

Hermione could only squirm and watch as he gave her the most serious look he'd given her in this time period. Her stomach was in knots, the rain outside no longer a comforting drum but a war hammer, pounding in her skull and making her feel sick.

The blood rushed in her ears as she stared at him, the silence building her anxiety to an even higher peak.

"What is wrong with you?" Hermione winced, her eyes pinched closed, still she could feel those eyes boring into her.

It was a simple question, one she could come up with so many answers too. She could dance around the question, make something up.

She could lie.

Of course, with that train of thought she was kidding herself, she wouldn't lie to him. Couldn't fathom trying to, he would know in an instant.

And he trusted her, she couldn't betray that trust.

She kept her eyes closed, seeing a scene playing out in her head she hoped would never come to pass.

She would tell him, he would stand and glare at her, walk away.

He would leave her miserable in that chair, alone in the middle of the suddenly cold library. That would be it, he would return to Voldemort, he would rejoin his wicked Slytherin friends, including Lucius, and the future would be doomed to repeat itself.

All because she was anxious about blinking out of existence. All because she was afraid of leaving him in a year and her own being having never existed.

It was a disturbing thought that had kept her up many nights. The way it made her feel to think about this her, the her she was now simply disappearing because the new her, the improved, undamaged her had been born.

And would there be a chance she'd remember? Remember Severus and her time in the past? Her own future that would be gone? Would her consciousness fuse with that of the self that had not yet been conceived or would she simply cease to be.

"Hermione, tell me." His hand, softly callused and gentle was on her cheek, warm and not nearly as commanding as his tone of voice.

She shuddered a breath and silvery eyes flicked open, her stomach roiling.

"You're right, I do have something I need to tell you." He gave a nod, Hermione was building herself up inside, trying to make her mouth open. It did and a squeak fell out. She closed it, heaved a breath and conjured all of her strength.

This was it, he was going to walk away from her, she was going to ruin everything.

The rain continued to beat its war drum against the window, her heart trying to match its unnatural rhythm in her chest as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm going to die." Time seemed to stand still in that instant, his breath caught in his chest, his eyes fixed on hers and she sat, frozen, afraid to move. She couldn't even hear the beat of the rain's war drum anymore.