Severus had been stressing over how to make matters right again with Hermione, but he needn't have worried. That same night, she knocked on his door, looking somewhat apologetic as she entered. So wound up was she that she didn't bother with a greeting.

"I put you in a difficult position."

"No, I—"

"I think things were going so smoothly that I kept expecting more and more out of you. Intimacy isn't something that can be forced, and we most certainly are on unequal footing. At the moment, I know you so much more than you know me, so I understand if you are still hesitant."

"It's not that at all."

Hermione plowed on as if she hadn't heard. "I had a good conversation with Bryan—omitted all the unnecessary parts, of course, but I think he got the gist—"

"You two must have a great relationship if you're both comfortable speaking to each other."

"What? Yeah, Bryan's sweet. They all are, in their own ways. They had to grow up too quickly, you know."

Severus nodded.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I spoke to him, and he made me realize that I was pushing you a bit hard. I understand it's been quite the whirlwind for all of us, but especially you. We can slow it down if that's what you want."

"You misunderstood me completely."

He watched as her brow furrowed, as if she realized that the apology that she'd rehearsed might end up being useless. For some reason, the slight crinkle between her eyes made the side of his mouth turn up as he thought over how he would answer.

"Before I found out, I was refusing you purely on the basis of you being a student. It wasn't because I was trying to take things slow. If you were out of Hogwarts, then Merlin, I— I would have taken my chances long ago. Earlier today, I refused for an entirely different reason. You were just recovering from an emotional trip, and I didn't want you to think that—" He struggled, thinking of a euphemism for the word— "intimacy would solve all your problems. It has nothing to do at all with slowing down or trying to gain footing."

"Oh."

"In fact, talk to any other man and you'll find that they have no interest in slowing down or gaining footing."

"Of course, but you are not any other man."

"That could be argued."

She smiled at him, relieved that they were alright. "Can I stay here tonight?"

"You may."

Hermione had the audacity to snort.

"What?"

"Nothing. Only, both of us are quite adept at correcting the boys' uses of 'can' and 'may.'"

It was still dark when Hermione stirred. She had her back to Severus, and his right arm was carelessly draped across her. Wanting to observe him, she turned herself around as carefully as possible, trying to keep his arm around her.

He looked so peaceful in his sleep, and Hermione was struck with the desire to stroke his cheek. She didn't, of course, but she silently commenced her study of the face she so loved. The slight stubble on his chin, the crease between his brow, and his honker of a nose… Only because she was staring at him so closely did she see when he surreptitiously tried to crack an eye open just a jot. It made her chuckle. He looked dismayed to have been caught.

"How long have you been up?"

"Since you turned around."

"I should've touched your face after all."

"Pardon?"

She didn't respond, instead taking the chance to lightly trace her fingers from just under his eye to the bottom of his chin. He remained silent, and Hermione realized that her touch was something that he wasn't very familiar with yet.

Though she could swear that she wasn't planning it at all, her hands slowly drifted lower. He was dressed—they both were—but that didn't stop her from being able to reach his groin. Keeping her eyes locked with his, she felt a touch of elation when he didn't seem to be stopping her this time. Encouraged, she pressed her face closer to his and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. He didn't respond at first, but he caught on quickly enough. Hermione felt his hands fly to her shoulder as he rolled over and pinned her beneath him. Her hands instantly flew to his backside, hooking her fingers together and pulling them toward her so that he ground into her. His groan shot straight to her stomach.

"There's still hours before either of us have to be anywhere," she muttered deliciously. "And now you most definitely know that I'm not a student. I'm older than you—practically ancient."

"And how would you know my plans for the day?" His warm breath tickled her neck.

"Lucky guess? As it stands, I'm unfortunately in a constant state of wanting you, so I would hope that you don't correct my guess."

"Constant state of wanting me," he repeated. "Silly witch."

"Are we good?"

He didn't respond, but his lack of a fight spoke volumes.

She held his eyes for a moment, gauging the situation, before connecting her lips with his once more.

He grabbed the hem of her jumper and shimmied it off, her hands flying up to assist him. Merlin, no bra. He let his lips wander lower before they reached their target and landed on a small, rounded breast. She moaned, writhing under him and making him even harder, if it was possible. A thought crossed his mind.

"Hermione," he began in a serious voice, "I know—"

"Shut up."

"Just listen for a moment."

She stilled, completely unsure of what he wanted to say and why it needed to be now.

"I know you dearly want more children, but—"

"I get it," she said, suddenly bitter. "Now isn't the time." Though she'd promised no more barriers, that was a topic she'd unconsciously kept silent on, knowing that she wasn't able to think straight on that matter.

"No, listen," he said, and that voice was enough to bring Hermione to her senses. "I will gladly—you know, but I fear you are letting your dreams get ahead of reality. You are not who you once were."

"I've always been me."

"Right now, you are a student who has yet to sit her NEWTS. Just wait a couple more months." He internally winced after the word student, but they'd come far enough to know that the word meant little in their unique situation.

That got her attention. A couple more months. Did that mean he didn't mind—so soon…? His mouth was back on hers, and she knew he'd won this one. Through her hazy thoughts, she managed to cast a contraceptive spell on herself, one she hadn't done in over a decade. She focused back on Severus, letting her despair and sadness latch onto the sexual frustration she'd felt for months.

His gentle lips, so different from the hasty action just moments prior, were both gratifying and comforting. She was incoherent as he peppered kisses down her body.

For Severus, the moment was different, was new. There was no frenzy like last time, and he wanted to take all the time he could get. This was his first conscious time with Hermione. Hadn't he been thinking about having her this way for ages? If anything, he wanted to bury the other experience deep down and never have to face it. He wanted to show her through his actions that he could be so much more.

It was clear that he intended to take it slowly, but Hermione was having none of it.

"Be patient. Merlin, I'm trying to make it better for you."

"I haven't had release in so long," she panted, choosing not to count her most recent encounter. "And how many times do I have to tell you that I like it rough?" His mouth was aligned with her belly, and she slipped out of his hold to reposition themselves. Arching herself up into him, she was rewarded with the length of him brushing against her slit. "I swear, Severus Snape, it didn't take you this long to catch onto my needs the first time around."

He didn't particularly like hearing about how he didn't compare to his other self, but he wouldn't let her taunts influence him. Not this time. "You'll get your release, all right," he muttered. His lips returned to where they were before she'd slid herself lower, and he gently sucked on the tender flesh between her legs, wincing slightly when she squeezed them tightly around his head.

He could feel her trembling, and so he doubled in his efforts, flicking his tongue and doing his best to ignore his own painful reaction that wanted to be taken care of. When she finally teetered over the edge, she shuddered and went limp. Severus crawled back up toward her so that they were at equal levels, and the look of love she gave him sent warmth diffusing through him. "About those needs?" He asked.

"I suppose you have a reason to sound so confident," she murmured, her voice still labored. Without saying anything else, she raised a salacious eyebrow and lowered her eyes to stare straight at his inpatient member. "Do your worst."

In what was a long time coming for both of them, he grabbed onto her hips and positioned himself once more, giving her a final look of confirmation. For her part, she rolled her eyes before winking.

That did it. In one quick motion, he was completely in. She was absolutely soaking, and he hardly needed to have pushed with such force. Severus watched, completely enthralled, as Hermione's eyes squeezed shut in pleasure and her mouth opened wide with breathy gasps. Her barrier was no longer there, and he only allowed himself a moment of guilt for his actions to her as Hildegard the other day before his focus returned once again to their shared pleasure.

Gripping her legs, he hooked them onto his shoulders to get better access. The new angle made both of them see stars. Somehow, she found enough control for a second to clamp her walls down around him, and he groaned, feeling something uncoiling in his stomach.

"If they could see you now," he grunted with difficulty, "with your legs high in the air and your eyes crossed with pleasure—"

"Only for you," she interrupted. "Always for you." Anything else she wanted to say was fucked right out of her as he hit a sweet spot and she saw stars. "Sever—ahh!"

"Hermione," he crooned, slowing down to get his bearings, "this—you—"

Despite her lack of control, she found herself giggling. "As eloquent as you are, even you can't help it when you've got a—" she blinked coquettishly— "writhing witch beneath you."

Severus made no response, but he slowed his pace to be more gentle—likely to prolong his own stamina—while Hermione met his thrusts with her own.

He let out a gasp, and Hermione knew he was near. She herself was also on the verge again—and it wasn't long until she felt herself rolling over the edge. With a loud, guttural groan, she felt Severus slow to a stop in her and rest his head on the crook of her shoulder, spent. It pleased her that he didn't pull out even after he'd come; she might've cried at the loss. Instead they lay there silently. He flipped them over so that she was resting on him instead of the other way around. Hermione smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, then shuddered at their shared sweatiness.

"And that will be the last time I believe you when you ask to join me in bed, asking for only my presence," Severus muttered, his voice just as silky and beautiful as she remembered.

"I didn't say anything about only your presence this time, silly. That was yesterday." He made no response. "I swear I wasn't planning it today, though. As I said, constant state of wanting you."

For the next couple of days, Severus kept a very close eye on Hermione. It was somewhat easy to do, as he allowed her to spend the nights in his quarters. He reasoned with himself that it was for the sake of her emotional stability. If they also shagged here and there—well, he had no excuse for that.

It was as if he were seeing her in a whole new light. How could he ever have imagined her to be only a student?

With her shields down, he had the chance to see more of her. At her core was a deeply sensitive woman who was dearly afraid of losing all she held dear and who put her family ahead of everything. Severus couldn't help but think he was a lucky bastard for landing her. Whatever it was that had attracted her attention the first time around, he was fairly sure he hadn't done it this time, and so in his mind he was just reaping the benefits from the other him. After all, Hermione hadn't had any interest in him while she was a seventh year the first time around, he reasoned.

It didn't matter. He was going to hold on to whatever he could get.

"I've been seeing you a lot lately," Severus intoned, managing a slight grin when Hermione appeared during his break in between the third and fifth year classes.

"You have," she replied, and she sounded so happy that he was sure he could hear the smile in those two words. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Don't be silly."

"Great. Well, I wanted to show you something. I know I've spoken about it, but it's high time you saw it for yourself."

"You're speaking of… her, right?"

"Yes. Well no, I suppose she isn't there, but you know what I mean. Come, let's walk. Weather should be nice."

As they left his classroom, Hermione disillusioned herself until they left the grounds. Then, it was a quick trip through the forest, and by her confident steps, he could tell that she knew the way by heart. When Severus spied the remnants of the aconite vines from the time he and Johnny had gone harvesting, he knew that they were nearby.

Evidently, the stone itself was also hidden, and he watched silently as she did a serious of wand movements to allow him access. When it materialized into view, he felt himself drawn to it. Instinctively, his fingers reached out to trace the letters spelling out her name.

"I never knew her full name." He was of course referring to the fact that followed by Eloise was Eileen.

"That makes two of us. We never decided on the second middle."

Ah. He had almost forgotten about that quirk. "Nonetheless. I'm very… touched that you would honor my mother."

"We, Severus. Not just me. And it seemed only natural. She meant a lot to you."

He nodded, wordlessly expressing his appreciation. "And the German? What does… wir warten auf dich mean?"

"Merlin, you need to learn the language and fix your pronunciation before the boys ridicule you to the ground for that!" She chuckled. "It just means we're waiting for you."

"And you believe you'll get her back?"

"I can't be sure. But you tell me, Severus, where could she be? She vanished from my womb upon my arrival. I don't believe that she died. I don't. I'm hoping for a magical miracle."

"Realistically speaking, the exact chances are low. For the child to be the same as the one you were carrying then, you would need the exact..." He trailed off, gesturing with his hands.

"Magical miracle," she repeated again, refusing to meet his eyes. "What were the chances that our three sons and I would travel to the past? Zero. But look where we are now."

"I always thought time travel would be a loop, but your situation has countered that," Severus murmured thoughtfully. "Clearly, the events of your seventh year this time around are different from what they were like last. If anything, the existence of your—our children is proof enough that you're not just repeating the seventh year you originally had."

"Indeed."

"No, I think I mean that time travel is a loop, but it found an exception for you. Maybe it can do the same for—for her. For Eloise."

"I love hearing her name come out of your voice," she whispered. "It's been a while."

Not knowing what to say, Severus placed a hand on her shoulder.

"After you left us, Bryan and Johnny went back to Hogwarts. I only had Roman and Eloise to keep me company. As with all expectant mothers, I spent countless hours imagining her as part of our family. What would she have looked like? How would the boys have taken to a sister so much younger than them? What kind of big brother would Roman have made? All are questions that I will have to wait longer for the answers."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. No one's fault, really. Unless you want to blame Nagini and the Dark Lord."

"Saw—Bryan was right," Severus remarked off-handedly. "You refer to him as the Dark Lord and not his name."

"Habit after getting with you. Of course, I hardly refer to him in either form. He's history."

"Still. I would've had a daughter." It was such a foreign concept to him. Sure, the concept of any child—son or daughter—was odd, but he was so accustomed to the three "Sawyer" brothers that a girl within their midst was hard to imagine.

"And you still will," she uttered with conviction. "However… now's not the time to focus on that. You have, as you mentioned the other day, three other children that would love your attention." Giving the stone one last pat, she forcefully turned around and beckoned for Severus to do the same.

He did so, but part of him wanted to stay just a moment longer.